Andy Cohen Weighs In on Whether Kenya Moore Could Return to RHOA After Controversy ngocc

   

Kenya Moore will have to wait to see if she gets to keep her peach, according to Andy Cohen.Kenya Moore, Andy Cohen

Despite the Real Housewives of Atlanta star recently apologizing for leaking newcomer Brittany Eady's NSFW photo during filming this summer, the producer exclusively told E! News correspondent Daryn Carp at Bravo's Fan Fest Nov. 23 that he and other executives are waiting until season 16, which is likely to premiere next year, "before we even think about who's returning and who's not."

However, Andy did note that it was "great" to see Kenya take responsibility for her involvement in the scandal, which ultimately led the 53-year-old's suspension from filming the rest of the season earlier this year.

"I was happy to see her take accountability," Andy added. "She and I have spoken a lot over the last few months."

Prior to the controversy, Kenya and costar Drew Sidora were the only two season 15 Housewives to return to the reality series. Rounding out the new cast were Porsha Williams following her two-season hiatus, longtime friend of the show Shamea Morton Mwangi as well as newbies Brittany, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley.

As for the series of events that led to the shocking RHOA scandal, Kenya recently admitted she leaked the photo as a response to "threats in my direction."

"There was a young lady who was new and she just was poking the bear," the former Miss USA told host Tamron Hall during a Nov. 14 appearance on The Tamron Hall Show. "The young lady escalated it to the point of tearing off mics, screaming all kind of obscenities at me and threatening me." 

Explaining that she felt like a "Black Karen" when she expressed her concerns about the alleged threats, Kenya continued, "I didn’t feel like I was being protected and I took matters into my own hands. I did my research on her. I found a lot of information—especially in the explicit world—with a few clicks."

The longtime Bravo personality said she decided to show one of the photos she found during the opening of her Kenya Moore Hair Spa—which was being taped for RHOA—under the assumption that producers would blur out the image.

Looking back, Kenya said admitted that she "elevated the situation" with her actions.

"I believe the photos were very distasteful," she noted. "I'm taking full accountability for the thing that I've done. I am sorry for what I’ve done. I didn’t have to take it that far."

Kenya—who shares 6-year-old daughter Brooklyn with ex-husband Marc Daly—added, "I never had a child and be in a situation like this before, so that’s why I escalated it to a point where I was protecting not only myself but my child."

Brittany has not publicly responded to Kenya's apology. However, she did share a cryptic message Nov. 16, one day after Kenya's Tamron Hall Show episode aired.

"Best part of being authentic, there is no image to maintain," she wrote on Instagram. "We are all the villain in someone’s story."