Porsha Williams is finally speaking out after finalizing her “nightmare” divorce from Simon Guobadia on June 11, and she’s doing it Angela Bassett style.
The 44-year-old reality TV star channeled the legendary Bernadine (Bassett’s character) from the iconic 1995 film “Waiting to Exhale” for a new cover shoot in People magazine. The sultry and smoldering shoot reimagines Bernadine as portrayed by Williams in various iconic scenes from the film, including when she ultimately sets her no-good cheating husband’s car ablaze in revenge before lighting a cigarette and walking away.
Inside the issue, Williams delves into what ultimately led to her high-profile split from the 61-year-old Nigerian entrepreneur after a little over one year of marriage.
“I feel relieved,” said “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star. “I think the feeling was mutual for me and him. We were both ready to close this chapter and move forward with real life.”
While Williams and Guobadia both maintain there were no issues within their actual marriage, including infidelity, and that he was “protector,” Williams shared that learning the total picture surrounding Guobadia’s immigration background and “complex” legal status began to change things.
The Go Naked Hair founder was working with Goubadia and an immigration lawyer to improve his circumstances when he continued to travel despite the advice that he shouldn’t. Williams said she was done after one final confrontation about his traveling, which went south, leaving her questioning if he was still the man she married.
“And it wasn’t really what he said, it was a look—a look that just felt dark,” she told People. “I just knew I was not looking at the same person I loved before. I could tell that he was just pretty much checked out of the relationship at that point.”
She filed for divorce shortly after, in February 2024, as he continued to travel. A year later, in February 2025, it made headlines when he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement days before he was meant to appear in court in Atlanta about their divorce.
Guobadia’s detention resulted from a host of immigration violations, including visa overstays dating back to the 80s, a 1987 conviction for bank and credit card fraud, and a deportation in 1992. He then reentered the U.S. under a different identity and obtained permanent residency, which was later determined to be unlawfully granted. His most recent naturalization application was denied in 2022, and legal challenges thus far have been unsuccessful. He was deported back to his native Nigeria on June 6. The former couple appeared virtually in court to finalize their divorce on June 9.
Even though her marriage ended in divorce, Williams said, “I don’t regret it.” She also noted that when processing a divorce, a person goes “through different stages.”
“You have that anger. You have the moment where you have to fight for your life in a court situation,” she explained. “And then, toward the end, you have the clarity where you realize you are still blessed. Your family is by our side, your child is protected; there’s a whole new life that you can start.”
