Phaedra Parks Said Her “Mini-Mes” Ayden and Dylan Couldn’t Wait to Get Back on ‘RHOA’ (Exclusive)

There are some Bravo Housewives you never forget, and Phaedra Parks is among them. After making her debut on The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2010, Phaedra made the world fall in love with not just her, but her family at the time: her then-husband Apollo Nida, and their two children, Ayden and Dylan. However, when she left RHOA after Season 9, fans were sad to see the family go.

Cut to RHOA Season 16, and Phaedra's back with a new peach and a new tagline: "I returned from the dead. Now, let's bury the past for good." And, of course, that means "Prince" Ayden and Dylan, aka Mr. President, returned to our screens, too!

Phaedra chatted with Distractify in partnership with Cheez-Itz's Snap'D bag and shared how her children are handling being back at their reality home base.

Phaedra told Distractify that both Ayden and Dylan were on board to return to RHOA. She said Ayden, whom she gave birth to on the show over 15 years ago, was equally excited for her to reclaim her peach.

"Ayden really remembers being on television," Phaedra shared. "Because that's all he knew until he was 6 or 7 years old. So he was super excited to be back. It's a family affair."

The moritcian added that, while she missed being back in her element on RHOA with Season 16 stars Porsha Williams, Shamea Morton, Angela Oakley, Kelli Ferrell, Brit Eady, and Cynthia Bailey, she said she wouldn't have done it if her children no longer wanted to be on TV.

"Any decisions I make, I always include them," Phaedra explained.

While fans remember Ayden and Dylan for their adorable moments, like Ayden's first day of school in Season 8 or their lavish parties that happened before they were 10, the booked and busy mom of two said the boys are growing into her little "mini-mes."

For his 13th birthday in 2023, Phadera shocked the world when she revealed that she had given Ayden over $100,000 to pursue his career as an entrepreneur, specifically in real estate, per People. She said viewers will see both Ayden and Dylan exploring their entrepreneurial efforts, as they've learned from the best.

"Dylan, Mr. President, has a pants line," Phaedra said. "He designs and sews them himself. So I'm super excited to show you that, you know, they're little mini-mes, they're entrepreneurs. They get out there and get to the bag, honey."

Phaedra didn't say if her ex-husband, Apollo, would make an appearance on RHOA, though the family appeared together in several episodes of her two-season run on Bravo's Married to Medicine. The exes were together for nearly a decade before calling it quits.

Despite a long divorce process, which included an appeal on his side, the two were able to finalize their split in 2017. It has been reported that Phaedra has primary physical custody of both of their children, and Apollo still shares joint legal custody, as per their agreement.

Keep up with Phaedra and her family on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. New episodes air Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.