Kandi Burruss’ Acting Roles: What Shows Has the RHOA Cast Member Been In?
RHOA's resident Grammy winner and Tony nominee wants to be a quadruple threat.
Everyone knows Kandi Burruss is a star in the recording studio and on the stage. But did you know this multi-hyphenate has movie and TV roles to her name, too too?
Besides her iconic real-life role as a cast member on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the music mogul been in a number of movies and TV shows, both scripted and unscripted. She's even inspired her son, Ace, to step in front of the cameras.
RELATED: We Have a Major Update on Ace Tucker’s Acting Career: “My Son Is a Superstar”
And, as she's said, Kandi is looking to be an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner one day.
"I'm gonna continue to put in the work until I get my ultimate goal," she shared during a May 2022 interview with The Daily Dish. "When I go back and look at people who have all four, and I feel like, 'Dang, I've been working at it this long and I only have this one.' Then I go back and look, and it's like, a lot of them it took them 50 years, 60 years to get all of them. So I'm like, 'OK, well, I guess I'm not too, too far off.'"
Given that she's won a Grammy and been nominated for a Tony for one of her many stage productions, she just has to enter the Oscar and Emmy contention.
Keep reading to take a look at Kandi's on-screen history, from her recurring role on The Chi to an iconic guest spot on Insecure.
Kandi Burruss' Movie Roles
Make It Rain
Kandi first got to shine onscreen as Roxanne in the 2008 movie Make It Rain, about a stripping contest that turns a small country town upside down.
Second Chance Christmas
Kandi had a supporting role as Tina in the made-for-TV holiday movie in 2014, in which a tragedy forces a stepfather and his recent stepson closer together.
Never Heard
Kandi played a mother struggling with drug addiction in the 2018 film about a man working to avoid his father's past mistakes and mend his own relationship with an estranged son.
Same Difference
Kandi starred as Gloria in the movie about a woman (Essence Atkins) compelled to reconcile with her estranged twin sister.
"This film tackles a very important subject matter. Mental Health," shared Kandi when the movie was released in June 2019. "Same Difference premieres this Friday at the American Black Film Festival. Thank you to the incredible cast and crew who cared enough about bringing awareness to this subject matter to want to shed more light on it."
Envy: Seven Deadly Sins
Everyone loves a good drama and this 2021 one — about a very jealous twin desperate to take over her sister's life — tackled the concept of envy. Naturally, Kandi's character stepped in to defend her main character bestie (she even had a stunt double!).
Pretty Stoned
Set in Atlanta, Pretty Stoned is an MTV stoner comedy released in 2023 about two girls forced to join forces after one of them disposes of $20,000 worth of drugs.
The movie reunited Kandi with RHOA alum Porsha Williams after the two had worked together on HBO's Insecure.
Kandi Burruss' TV Roles
It's no secret that Kandi keeps herself booked and busy. In 2021, she took to Instagram to reveal she was filming for three TV shows at one time.
RELATED: Kandi Burruss Is Celebrating an Exciting Career Update: A “Dream Coming True”
“This week I’m running around like crazy hopping on multiple flights because I’ve had to film for 3 different TV shows. Thank you God!” she explained in the November post, adding a hashtag that said “blessed to do what I love.”
Are We There Yet?
Kandi played a character named Renee in one 2011 episode of the Terry Crews-fronted TV show, which was based off the hit 2005 Ice Cube movie of the same name.
Let's Stay Together
Named after the fabulous Al Green song, Let's Stay Together told the story of a couple figuring out life after their honeymoon stage wore off. Kandi appeared in one episode of the rom-com in 2012 as Mabel.
Saints and Sinners
Kandi played Dr. Shelby Howard in an episode of the soap opera in 2017.
Insecure
Kandi played Glenda in the Season 4 premiere of Issa Rae's Insecure, aptly titled "Lowkey Feelin' Myself." Porsha also appeared in the 2020 episode, as did Ray J.
The Chi
Beginning in Season 3, Kandi took on the recurring role of Roselyn Perry in The Chi, a show about about life on the South Side of Chicago. Season 6 is set to premiere in August 2023.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
We'd recognize that voice anywhere: Kandi narrated the seven-episode Vivica A. Fox miniseries which aired in 2021 and 2022.
I Got a Story to Tell
One 2022 episode of the dark anthology series (titled "Before I Let Go") featured Kandi as Tammi.
A La Carte
After appearing in a recurring role in Season 1, Kandi was promoted to series regular for the second season of the millennial dating dramedy.
Whatever It Takes
Kandi's latest role is in the 2023 Christmas movie, Whatever It Takes. Kandi plays the mom of an adult son and one of four middle-aged friends who are looking forward to spending the the holidays together. But when the single one of the friend group begins a romance with Kandi's character's son, it threatens to tear their group apart.
It begins streaming on December 21.
Kandi's Reality TV Career
Besides RHOA, candy has featured in a number of Bravo specials and spinoffs including The Kandi Factory, Kandi's Wedding, Kandi's Ski Trip, Xscape: Still Kickin' It, SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B, and Kandi & The Gang.
Outside of the Bravo-verse, she's appeared as herself on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, Celebrity Big Brother, Wild 'N Out, RuPaul's Drag Race, and The Masked Singer (which she won).
Kandi's Production Work on Broadway and in the Movies
Kandi wrote, co-produced, and starred in her own musical, A Mother’s Love, in 2014 and played the iconic role of Mama Morton in Chicago in 2018.
Kandi also produced a Broadway play called Thoughts of a Colored Man in 2021, and Kandi and Todd produced the Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson together in 2022.
On August 25, Kandi and Todd announced their latest movie venture, The Pass, starring Drew Sidora (as Nina) and Rob Riley (as Maurice), would stream exclusively on Peacock beginning Sunday, August 27. The film, about a married couple who gives each other one night off from fidelity, was produced by T Tucker Productions and Kandi Koated Entertainment.
Kandi Burruss' Welcome to the Dungeon
In addition to her other work, Kandi's also produced and performed in a risqué variety show called The Dungeon. First seen on the stage in October 2018 and then shown on RHOA in Season 11 — which aired in March 2019 — Kandi took the performances on tour in May 2019. (She also threw Cynthia Bailey a "Welcome to the Dungeon"-themed bachelorette party in Season 13, which aired in 2021.)
She's now bringing "Welcome to the Dungeon" back for one night only in Atlanta.
In an October 2 Instagram post, Kandi featured footage of her spliced with videos of Usher and, during their mock conversation, Kandi told the performer: "I'm calling to tell you that The Dungeon is coming October 21."
"When I tell you it's going to be crazy this year, it's going to be crazy," Kandi added. "We gonna put people inside the money machine, and let them take money home. And for the women, we got Bolo!" (Bolo was the extremely talented male stripper who performed at the Season 13 party.)
In an October 10 Instagram post, Kandi shared a photo of herself in what appears to be a look for the upcoming show: A leopard print body suit with latex details, a sheer jacket, and a black-and-gold hanging chainmail mask.
"The Dungeon is coming October 21 & it's gonna be a wild night!" Kandi captioned it.
Originally published Aug 5, 2023.
