Cynthia Bailey

Cynthia Denise Bailey (born February 19, 1967) is an American model, reality television personality, podcaster and actress. Born and raised in Alabama, she moved to New York City at the age of 18 to pursue a modeling career. There, she signed a five-year contract with Wilhelmina Models, and subsequently appeared as a model in various magazines and advertising campaigns. She worked as a runway model in Paris and Milan.

Bailey has acted in films, including Without You I'm Nothing (1990) and For Love or Money (1993), and on television programs, such as The Cosby Show. She joined the Bravo reality television show The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2010. She married Peter Thomas in 2010, and their divorce was finalized in 2017. Her relationship with sportscaster Mike Hill was showcased on The Real Housewives of Atlanta from 2018 until she left the series in 2021.

Early life Cynthia Denise Bailey was born on February 19, 1967, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Tuscumbia. Her father, Elijah, worked at an auto factory and her mother, Barbara, worked at a sewing factory. While growing up, Cynthia was inspired by her grandmother, Mae Frankie Ford, who worked in a sewing factory, sold hotdogs and hamburgers, cleaned houses, and volunteered to care for an elderly woman. She described Ford as "the first female black entrepreneur in [her] life". She was the first African American homecoming queen at Deshler High School. After winning the event, she participated in a homecoming queen pageant. Even though she did not win, she was contacted by a Wilhelmina Models talent scout. At age 18, she moved to New York City and signed a five-year contract with the modeling agency. She raised the money for the move through part-time work at a mall. In 1990, she played Roxanne in the film Without You I'm Nothing, and remained friends with its star Sandra Bernhard. Naomi Campbell was considered for the role. Her audition for a role in the 1991 film The Five Heartbeats was featured in the 2018 documentary The Making of the Five Heartbeats. In 1993, she played a model in the film For Love or Money, She played a masseuse in a 1995 episode of New York Undercover. The magazine's then editor-in-chief Susan L. Taylor described Bailey as one of her favorite models.

2010–2016: The Real Housewives of Atlanta and other work In 2010, Bailey joined the Bravo reality television show The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which featured her relationship with club owner Peter Thomas and her friendship with NeNe Leakes. Bailey was initially uncertain about joining the show, describing it as "too dramatic", but changed her mind after viewing it as a business opportunity. She was contacted by Bravo shortly after moving to Atlanta with Thomas; the network said that they "wanted to bring more class to the cast, and feature more women that already had successful careers before the show". In the "Age Ain't a Factor" video, she was shown in a fictional Essence article on "Ageless Beauty", alongside LisaRaye McCoy and Vivica A. Fox. The same year, she acted in Kenya Moore's television pilot, Life Twirls On. For the character, she used a Jamaican accent. She was featured on a celebrity edition of Cupcake Wars with Nene Leakes.

2017–present: Professional expansion Bailey was a guest judge for the preliminary and finals competition of the 65th Miss Universe competition. In 2018, Bailey signed a contract with the New York-based agency Major Models; her daughter is also signed with the company. In 2019, Bailey guest starred in an episode of Last Call, and acted in How High 2, the sequel to the 2001 film How High. as well as a line of candles, leather goods, and eyewear. The same year, she had a partnership with Seagram, creating a signature drink, a Bellini cocktail. It was sold in April 2019. The launch party was shown on an eleventh season episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In it, Leakes is angry that Bailey had invited Kenya Moore to the event without her knowledge. and Leakes and Bailey publicly ended their friendship. Bailey is a brand ambassador for Seagram since 2018. In 2019, she guest-starred on Star and Tales. She starred in the first season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, a spin-off featuring various women from The Real Housewives franchise, which premiered on Peacock in 2021. In an Essence interview conducted in the same year, she said she was shifting her focus from reality television to acting. The same year, she appeared in the 2022 Lifetime movie Cruel Instruction.

In 2024, it was announced that Bailey would be returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta in a "friend of" capacity for its sixteenth season. Since October 2024, Bailey co-hosts the Humble Brag with Crystal and Cynthia podcast alongside Crystal Kung Minkoff, focusing on topics related to pop culture, reality television, and celebrities.

Personal life

Bailey dated Jayson Williams in 1996, and he proposed to her during a New Jersey Nets halftime show. She rejected the proposal and returned the engagement ring to him. She also turned down a marriage proposal from Russell Simmons. During her pregnancy, Bailey learned she had a uterine fibroid, which she described as "the size of a grape"; she chose to treat this with uterine fibroid embolization rather than a hysterectomy since she wanted the option of having more children in the future. She partnered with USA Fibroids Centers to raise awareness about fibroids and treatment options.

Bailey married Peter Thomas on July 24, 2010, at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History; the wedding was shown on a season three episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In 2013, Bailey and Thomas published a book about their relationship entitled Carry-On Baggage: Our Nonstop Flight. They publicly announced their separation in 2016, and their divorce was finalized in March 2017. Bailey moved with her daughter to a house that she calls "Lake Bailey". She initially wanted an apartment, saying that she wanted "the New York City sort of lifestyle", but producers from The Real Housewives of Atlanta convinced her to purchase a house instead.

Bailey publicly announced her relationship with Fox Sports correspondent Mike Hill in August 2018. Hill and Bailey became engaged in July 2019, and were married on October 10, 2020. Bailey said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, strict rules were implemented for the wedding to protect the 250 guests and a deep cleaning of the Acworth, Georgia venue. However, Bailey received criticism on social media following the release of pictures and videos that showed guests not wearing masks. She announced in October 2022 that she filed for divorce from Hill, which was finalized the same year.

Filmography

Films Title Year Role Ref. 1990 Without You I'm Nothing Roxanne 2022 Cruel Instruction Karen Adams TV movie The Stepmother Vanessa 2023 Blossom Doris Rowell Under His Influence Ashley Rock the Boat Carol 2024The Lost Holliday Victoria Van Der Poole Who’s Cheating Who Maxine

Television Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1990 The Cosby Show Sheniquah Watkins Episode: "Just Thinking About It" Tales Sally Episode: "Brothers" 2022 Celebrity Big Brother Herself Contestant: Season 3 Terror Lake Drive Rose Recurring Cast: Season 2 2023 Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars Herself Episode: "In Two" The Real Housewives of New Jersey Herself Episode: "Teresa Gets Married" See It Loud: The History of Black Television Herself Episode: "Keeping It Real" The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Herself Episode: "Ring Around the Rumor", "Dazed and Accused" & "Soirees and Separations" 2024 BMF Gloria Recurring Cast: Season 3 2025 Got to Get Out Herself Contesant; Season 1 Love Hotel Herself Episode: "The Love Boat"

Music video appearances Year Artist Song Ref. 1989 New Order "Round & Round" 1994 Heavy D and The Boyz "Nuttin' but Love" 2013 Jaheim "Age Ain't a Factor" "Baby x3" "Chase Forever" 2019 Luann de Lesseps "Feelin' Jovani"

Documentary Title Year Ref. 2015 Black Friday