See Photos of a Young Porsha Williams Before The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The returning cast member has given fans a peek at her pre-Housewives camera roll.
While we can't imagine a life without Porsha Williams (and thankfully won't have to, as she's officially returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta for Season 16), the television personality did once have a life without Bravo.
Prior to joining the RHOA cast for Season 5 in 2012, Porsha was just an Atlanta girl living her life without cameras.
“I'm incredibly thankful for the vision and faith [Bravo's parent company] NBCUniversal has put in me to be a larger part of their family,” Porsha said in a statement while announcing her return to RHOA in February 2024. “I’m looking forward to being back on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and showing the world my new world!”
Until then, take a peek at Porsha's old world.
Young Porsha Williams at a Birthday Party
An Atlanta girl through and through, Porsha was born on June 22, 1981. Years after this photo was taken, Porsha had another happy birthday when she celebrated her 41st trip around the sun on a Parisian vacation.
“Best birthday ever," she wrote in an Instagram post at the time, tagging her daughter Pilar Jhena McKinley and husband Simon Guobadia. Naturally, she added French flag and champagne bottle emojis.
Young Porsha Williams at a Restaurant
Though she's dressed in mostly black here, the "Flatline" singer is extremely cautious of when she wears black on TV.
“OK, for me, in group scenes, I just have this thing. Like I heard one of the vets say, 'You don’t wear black, because you want to wear something that’s going to stand out when you’re being filmed.' So just, TV-wise, you wear a color,” Porsha explained during an October 2020 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “But for me, if there’s a group scene where I know they’re gonna come for me, or I need to be coming for somebody, then I will wear all black.”
“So, if you see me in all black, it’s about to go down either way, OK? And if I have on a color, that means I did not know it was going down,” she added, jokingly.
Young Porsha Williams and Sister Lauren Williams
Porsha has three siblings: brothers Hosea Williams III and Brenton Williams; and sister Lauren Williams.
"Lauren and I always had a really good relationship. I mean, we're six years apart. I had to give her time to grow up and catch up to me," she shared in a Season 10 interview for BravoTV.com.
Porsha Williams at her Bachelorette Party
When Porsha stepped on the RHOA scene in Season 5, she was freshly married to Kordell Stewart.
"I'm married to Kordell Stewart. He's an ex-NFL football player. When my family met him, my uncle was taking pictures of him. My brother was going crazy. I was like 'What is going on?'" she shared. "Ever since I was 25, I knew I wanted to be married by 30. And the man of my dreams approached me at 27."
RELATED: Look Back on Porsha Williams' Romances, From Kordell Stewart to Simon Guobadia
The pair wed in May 2011, with the extravagant ceremony featured on Platinum Weddings. Less than two years later, Kordell filed for divorce, with the split finalized in December 2013.
The good news? Porsha is now happily married to Simon Guobadia.
Young Porsha Williams' Mirror Selfie
Porsha calls Lauren her "little big" sister, as Lauren is noticeably taller than the RHOA cast member. "She's my everything," she shared in the above interview.
The thing is, neither of these women is short. Porsha is 5'8".
Porsha and Lauren Williams as Young Women
Lauren makes regular appearances on RHOA and featured heavily in Porsha's 2021 spinoff series, The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Porsha's Family Matters.
"My absolute favorite person to travel with, get lost with, cry with and even just sit on the couch with and laugh for hours," Lauren gushed about her big sister in a January 2021 Instagram post. "I pray God blesses everyone with a 'person.' She’s mine."
Young Porsha Williams in a White Bodycon Dress
Porsha Williams was engaged once between her marriages. News first broke that she was marrying "Hot Dog King" Dennis McKinley in October 2018, while Porsha was pregnant with their daughter PJ. The proposal was shown during Season 11 of RHOA.
However, the pair ended up splitting up prior to their planned nuptials after Porsha learned Dennis had been unfaithful.
