New ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ cast member is reportedly Marlo Hampton
Marlo Hampton at her "Glam It Up "event today at W Hotel for foster teens. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
I just got back from a charity event at the W Hotel in Midtown hosted by the newest “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member Marlo Hampton.
Hampton, a 35-year-old Atlanta resident who moved here from Florida eight years ago, herself wouldn’t confirm whether she was “officially” a housewife but based on the publicity material provided for the event, she is.
The event is called “Glam It Up!” according to the publicist’s note. It’s an initiative created by Hampton, who is described as “entrepreneur, stylist, TV personality and philanthropist.” The purpose: “focus on rebuilding the road to self-empowerment in young ladies 13-17 in the Atlanta area.” She is a product of the foster-care system, the release said. During the day, she provided tips on “healthy eating, dressing for success, grooming, etiquette and self-esteem with 25 girls.”
NeNe Leakes, Cynthia Bailey and Phaedra Parks were supposed to stop by, according to the publicity material provided to me, but they weren’t there while I was there and I didn’t have time to wait for them to show up.
Hampton, in a brief interview, said she was a fashion stylist who has worked with Young Joc and Jazze Pha. She also owned the Red Carpet Boutique at Perimeter Mall for three years but recently shut it down. She is launching an on-line boutique August 1.
According to a Nexis search, she has been arrested at least seven times from 1998 to 2003. The folks at Starcasm were nice enough to create a gallery of her mug shots. Among the charges, she was arrested in 2002 for firearms possession in Florida. In 1999, she was arrested for aggravated battery.
Marlo Hampton being interviewed by Rolling Out magazine. PHOTO CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Straight From the A first reported Hampton’s presence at a charity event at Piedmont Park next to Parks, fueling speculation she was joining the cast. She was also with Charles Grant, an NFL player.
Hampton responded in a statement to Straight From the A after it broke news of her felonious past:
“It has come to my attention that some of my past indiscretions have come to light. Let me first state, I am not ashamed of my past, as my past has helped me become a better woman today.
We all have a past; and my hard-knock childhood in the Foster Care system is a reflection on a bigger issue we faced in America, a broken Foster Care system.
I remain deeply sorry for my actions and I will continue to work hard to contribute to a better community.
My present charge in life is to live with God in my heart and help young women, especially from the foster care system, avoid the challenges I faced.
I’m more than just what is being said of me and I look forward to telling my story and helping others.”
– Marlo Hampton
Straight from the A also speculated that Hampton could be a potential replacement for NeNe Leakes, who has alienated herself from virtually the entire cast. But there has been no confirmation that Leakes is leaving the show.
Recurring character and stylist/singer Miss Lawrence (left) helped out Hampton with her "Glam It Up" event at the W Midtown July 19, 2011. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Here’s a short interview I did with her:
Bravo itself has not confirmed to me whether she has joined the cast but I saw no sign at this event news to the contrary.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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170 comments Add your comment
StayOutUndereducated!
July 19th, 2011
6:02 pm
@Unreal..you should be asking that question to BRAVO..”a very RACIST” network when it comes to ATL!
CJ
July 19th, 2011
6:03 pm
Is this one actually married?
Jay
July 19th, 2011
6:10 pm
WOW they really do a great job of showcasing the women in Atlanta…this is the worst show ever!
Mr. Pragmatic
July 19th, 2011
6:21 pm
I really wish people would stop asking why aren’t there more positive examples of black women on television. Most (if not all) of the production companies that produce the reality shows are owned and/or run by non-black executives. If I’m a non-black cable/network tv executive, then I’m not going to have a vested interest in putting out positive portrayals of blacks on television. I’m not going to care one way or the other. All I’m going to care about are ratings.
The average american television viewer’s mind has been dumbed down to the point where ignorance, immorality and lack of restraint are what sell now. Ignorance (no matter what race it comes in) and rebellious behavior is what attracts viewers, and viewers attract ad revenue, plain and simple. And it hasn’t helped that there has never really been any quality programming put forth by black-owned networks, entertainers, movers & shakers. It’s only been music and cheap ‘relationship’ movies. Non-black execs figured years ago that if we don’t have a problem portraying ourselves as booty-shakin’, baby makin’, easily offended, easily angered, always ready to fight individuals, why should they?
By not standing up in the 90s and the early part of last decade and holding our own execs & networks accountable, we were pretty much telling white hollywood that THIS is what we like, THIS is how we are and THIS is what we like to see.
Just my two cents…. Oh yeah, and before all the race baiters rip me a new one, I’m a college-educated BLACK male.
Bossip | Gossip for the Hardcore | Black Celebrity & Entertainment News
July 19th, 2011
6:25 pm
[...] Source [...]
NativeAtlantan
July 19th, 2011
6:30 pm
This show has zero interest, and makes Atlantans look like we’re all ghetto gold.
Ronnie
July 19th, 2011
6:51 pm
Damn!!!Bravo !
Can you please find BW in Atlanta, GA who are Doctors, Judges, Accountants, ect….. and stop featuring ghetto trash…….
Get a life
July 19th, 2011
7:08 pm
Kill yourself!
Gerald
July 19th, 2011
7:21 pm
1. RHOA (and the rest of the RH series, and “reality shows” in general) are cast in order to garner ratings. If such shows cast normal people with normal lives, no one would watch.
2. Black people complaining about the stereotyping are hypocrites. Black music has perpetuated negative stereotypes since the early blues/jazz era (no, it didn’t start with rap music). Black movies … ditto. Black comedians? More of the same. Black leaders and politicians? Ditto, ditto, ditto. Black art and literature, going back to the Harlem Renaissance? The same. Blacks complaining about ONE SHOW on Bravo when PRACTICALLY EVERY SHOW ON BET IS WORSE is hypocritical.
3. The reason why no whites are on the show is because if there were, there would be race arguments all the time. Put a couple of ladies from Buckhead who voted for Nathan Deal and listen to Neal Boortz on the show … well Bravo isn’t looking for THAT type of controversy. And yes, if the show was all white, then there would inevitably be innumerable, interminable discussions about how awful THOSE ATLANTA BLACK PEOPLE are (please, don’t pretend otherwise) and again, Bravo isn’t looking for controversy of that sort.
4. Please end the “why are none of them married?” nonsense. Conservatives began raising the issue of growing out of wedlock pregnancy and declining marriage rates in the black community in the 1970s. (Actually, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a liberal pro-civil rights Democrat, first started talking about it in the 1960s. When he did, the folks at Morehouse and Howard called him a racist!) The black leadership stated that it wasn’t an issue: that poverty, racism, and our refusal to redistribute wealth in response to it was the real problem. The black community decided that the black leadership was right. I will say that it is hugely hypocritical for the same people who spent years bashing Bill Cosby for failing to be an apologist for black illegitimacy on “The Cosby Show” in the 1980s (back when at least half of black kids were still being born in wedlock, as opposed to less than 25% now, and that percentage would be even lower were it not for the sky high abortion rate that has reduced the growth rate of the black population just like Margaret Sanger intended, not that anyone talks about that!) are real hypocrites for criticizing RHOA for basically depicting reality now. Folks upset with Bravo ought to do an Internet search for the famous “Marriage Is For White People” article that appeared in the Washington Post a few years ago. Or you can go back to any number of black scholars and politicians who spent decades stating that the response to rising black illegitimacy was A) more social programs and B) more education programs and C) being more “tolerant” to single parenthood and more family models than the “oppressive white ideal of the two parent family.” I still remember when most blacks (apparently) accepted the idea that the conservative “family values” slogan was somehow racist code words. Once again, the black Bravo bashers are being hypocrites.
5. If RHOA offends you, the solution is not to watch it. I have never watched the show. And I will never watch the show (or at least will never willingly watch it). If you are white, then you have the 90% of TV shows and movies that do not feature a single black leading character (and before Hollywood began to pretend to care about diversity, that statistic was even higher … I can still remember when there weren’t even any blacks in commercials – other than malt liquor ads shown during Soul Train – let alone TV shows and movies.) If you are black, well statistics show that blacks watch far too much TV anyway. So, cut the TV off and read a book (preferably NOT a stereotype-reinforcing one from the Harlem Renaissance or similar), listen to music (preferably NOT to stereotype-reinforcing rap/soul/R&B/jazz music) or have a nice talk (or better yet prayer, WWJD!) with the members of the family that you HOPEFULLY have, and if you do, you should be trying to keep instead of allowing the TV help turn your family into yet another black divorce/broken home/illegitimacy statistic. And while you are cutting off the TV, go ahead and get off the Internet while you are at it! PLENTY of stereotypical/racist/negative/harmful content on TV. Video games too!
Quit complaining and do something about it!
People are always talking
July 19th, 2011
7:32 pm
Really Jodi? You will ask if there are any white, hispanic, or asian housewives in Atlanta? Have you wondered if there were any black, hispanic or asian housewives in New York, New Jersey, California??
As for Marlo Hampton, I was at the event for young girls in foster care in Atlanta today and it was fabulous. Someone asked about her being a “role model” for young girls, well at least she can say she has DONE something to give back to someone else, where all the “perfect” people sit back in the protection of their home talking about what “should” be done by others but never doing it themselves. All I can say is at the end of the day the young girls in the foster care system left the event feeling special and beautiful and heard from someone who came from where they are from and said to them, don’t make the same mistakes I have made, reach for your dreams and don’t give up because you are special.
Daculan
July 19th, 2011
7:36 pm
Great, another stellar resident for us to be proud of.
This RHOA franchise is just embarrassing. As a SUCCESSFUL/ HOUSEWIFE of the suburbs, I take issue with the ongoing casting of these DIVA/losers.
W
July 19th, 2011
7:50 pm
Why don’t they cast a housewife from Atlanta? These women are from Duluth.
Shawty Rock
July 19th, 2011
8:09 pm
The black women who are portrayed on RHOA and the other wannabee’s around here starving for attention, are extremely disfunctional,abnormal, do not portray all black women.Just an element of American trash that permeates society today.This trash comes in all colors.
What about Paula Patton ? Iman ? Condoleeza Rice ? Very,very,classy.
These trashy hoes on RHOA know what they are.They can pull it off around here,this is a grama queen’s paradise full of gay men in skinny jeans who wear eyelashes and weaves.
Dysfunctional fits in the Atl.
Yvonne Williams
July 19th, 2011
8:45 pm
The cast is reflective of this town…..cheap and tawdry. Lets replace it with Real Housewives of Chicago, Dallas, Houston. Atlanta is and will always continue to be a joke. Don’t get mad at Bravo. They are just showcasing what Atlanta is all about.
Freddybeach Offers! » Marlo Hampton, Lengthy Rap Sheet Join The Real Housewives of Atlanta
July 19th, 2011
9:08 pm
[...] Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that this 35-year old stylist has joined a cast led by perpetually fighting frenemies NeNe Leakes [...]
pattycake
July 19th, 2011
9:57 pm
lived in the atl 30 years, lots of pretty blue eyed blonds, green eyed redheads, alabaster skinned asian women….so lovely….so absent from atl housewives!.what happened to our favorite word diversity?
Society
July 19th, 2011
10:28 pm
Sorry Gerald.. But RHWATL is an embarrassment and showcases the racist people who do the casting at BRAVO…Look at the other shows and most of the woman run a REAL business, OWN expensive homes and etc… one of the former members SOLD HER Company for $120 million dollars!
This new addition showcases FAILURE..arrested 7 times..oh yeah that’s a real role model..business that closed up..yes..that is success written all over it!…just another wannabe…I have news for you real housewives with a career and family are TOUGH, INTERESTING, and Have TV appeal….hmmm..that’s how the housewife “Bethany” got her own show!!!
Sorry but I understand looking for ratings…but you don’t have to go digging in the ghetto to find it!
jasmine
July 19th, 2011
10:28 pm
umm no one ever said she was blaming her charges on being in foster care ! She was clearly reaching out to the community, and helping girls; letting them know she’s been in their shoes. you guys are being ignorant and extremely judgmental. who are you to act as if you made no wrongs in life ? get real! we live and learn ! My aunt is living and learning ! i love you Marlo <3
CONFIRMED! Marlo Hampton is Officially Atlanta’s Newest “Housewife”… | AllureVision
July 19th, 2011
10:32 pm
[...] the trend of “housewives” without husbands continues, it’s been officially confirmed that Marlo Hampton is the newest addition to Bravo’s The Real Housewives of [...]
Society
July 19th, 2011
10:34 pm
@people always talking..the so called event is just a “she needs something to do” waste..a way to get her name into the AJC!
Funny how all of a sudden she is in the papers about her “work with foster kids!”…reality..this is just a move by her publicist/BRAVO!….hmmm…
Society
July 19th, 2011
10:38 pm
@people always talking…was there anyone even at the event besides her,you and the camera man? based on the pic that looks like a taped up banner w a bunch of boxes around it…some event…noticed how the kids who she is so concerned with aren’t even seen…and they NEED parents!!!… has she found homes for them? Or how about adopting one of them since she is a product of the system herself?
Society
July 19th, 2011
10:41 pm
@jasmine…what has she REALLY done? If you are going to stand up for her..gives us the facts..besides she does a good speech of “I’ve been there!”… Can’t wait to see the ghetto class she will bring to the show!…hope you can still be proud of her after the first season!
Marlo Hampton, Lengthy Rap Sheet Join The Real Housewives of Atlanta « Hollywood Gossip Live
July 19th, 2011
10:48 pm
[...] Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that this 35-year old stylist has joined a cast led by perpetually fighting frenemies NeNe Leakes [...]
RLP
July 19th, 2011
10:59 pm
Why is there only one housewives show that feature black women? I am sure there are other black women in other states that fit the bill. The show is not meant to be a role model for people but for entertainment purposes only. My understanding Housewives of Atlanta has the highest rating of all the housewives shows. You would think Bravo would do another housewives show featuring more black women. I think D.C. housewives would have made it if there had been more black women featured.
Marlo Hampton, Lengthy Rap Sheet Join The Real Housewives of Atlanta |
July 19th, 2011
11:13 pm
[...] Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that this 35-year old stylist has joined a cast led by perpetually fighting frenemies NeNe Leakes [...]
John
July 19th, 2011
11:19 pm
I’m sure their business traveler guests wish you would all go away and limit your patronage to the weekends. The W hotel is stupid IMO for allowing all black events to continue after that window incident. Those “models” and that lying boyfriend did enough damage by acting irresponsibly. It seems they are the ones being exploited because your valuable black business doesn’t know how to act in public.
» Marlo Hampton, Lengthy Rap Sheet Join The Real Housewives of Atlanta
July 19th, 2011
11:45 pm
[...] Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that this 35-year old stylist has joined a cast led by perpetually fighting frenemies NeNe Leakes [...]
Marlo Hampton, Lengthy Rap Sheet Join The Real Housewives of Atlanta «
July 19th, 2011
11:47 pm
[...] Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that this 35-year old stylist has joined a cast led by perpetually fighting frenemies NeNe Leakes [...]
Sybil S.
July 20th, 2011
12:11 am
Really? Really??? Another…. ‘not a housewife’… and not even from Atlanta – nor Georgia! I looked up one of the charges – filed in Pinellas county, FL… assaulting a Law Enforcement Officer… to which she pled ‘nolo contendre’….which is not only a felony… but truly a reprehensible crime!!! AND she ‘mentors’ young girls!!! Really!
Who Looked More Bangin’: Atlanta “Housewives” Marlo Hampton And Miss Lawrence Glam It Up For A Good Cause | Don Vuitton
July 20th, 2011
12:17 am
[...] Source [...]
Stop Watching RHOA. It's TRASH!!
July 20th, 2011
12:40 am
Alright so I’ve read all the comments. Now what? How about we stop watching this trash. BRAVO, like other networks, feed viewers what they like and consume. Stop watching it…period. Find something else to watch. There are loads of other programs and shows and other things to do.
Marlo Hampton, Lengthy Rap Sheet Join The Real Housewives of Atlanta | The Buzz
July 20th, 2011
1:10 am
[...] Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that this 35-year old stylist has joined a cast led by perpetually fighting frenemies NeNe Leakes [...]
Marlo Hampton, Lengthy Rap Sheet Join The Real Housewives of Atlanta | Matchmeeup Luke
July 20th, 2011
2:03 am
[...] Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that this 35-year old stylist has joined a cast led by perpetually fighting frenemies NeNe Leakes [...]
Give me a break
July 20th, 2011
2:09 am
Reality is any woman of note – educated, refined, accomplished – would not participate in such a show. It is anything but “reality”. Anyone who participates in a “reality show” is someone who is desperate for fame. They are disillusioned to think it will launch them into the celebrity stratosphere. They launch their cookboks, clothing, jewelry, sex tape, wig line, boutique and singing career… Fast forward – these people are ADDICTED to the fame, leading to drugs, bankruptcy, divorce, and lots of poor behavior. Very few have long-term potentia. They may make a nice buck in the beginning, they spend money the don’t have and they end up on Celeb Rehab or some other joke.
The shows are about entertainment. A “real” housewife that could be considered a rolemodel would not subject themselves to the intrusion & dramatization. Our fascination with these embarrassments is dumbfounding.
A Sane Black Woman
July 20th, 2011
4:12 am
It is sad the producers have elected to get another “Black” woman who has no husband, no job, no real career or anything of substance about her. I am deeply concerned about the images all of this shows young girls. NeNe Leekes proved to be no more than a lot of mouth with no substance or class. It was extremely disappointing how she conducted herself on Donald Trump’s show. But it clearly showed once she left the “safety” of Atlanta she was completely out of her league and just another common thug with a lot of mouth and nothing to back it up. Why is it there are no positive Black women and men on television.
Marlo Hampton The New Member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta Does Charity | SocialiteWorld
July 20th, 2011
7:32 am
[...] Source [...]
so tired of your talk
July 20th, 2011
8:27 am
@talented 10th– i do not know any true, decent, jack and jill, college grads who would appear on this show. atl’s TRUE old school Black money would never be obvious by showcasing themselves on a show such as this. they are quiet and laid back and they tend to keep within their circle. @ gerald, wow, really– you have that many words on this overdone subject? it is not that deep. okay, i read most of what rodney writes, so i comment on his blogs, but… i do not watch rhoa. i do watch ny and think they are funny as all get out… but then, i am not white, jewish, or a botax hag.
Buffoonery
July 20th, 2011
9:46 am
I really don’t have a problem with the cast being predominately african american or unmarried, but I do have a problem with the buffoonery. I think that it’s quite sad that lives have been lost fighting for our civil rights and equality, only to have people like NeNe Leakes, etc., to appear on television and act the way that they do. It appears that some of us have not arrived and are still in bondage.
teresa
July 20th, 2011
9:59 am
Dwight is even gone
Lace
July 20th, 2011
10:19 am
More Ghetto Drama for the white folks….. You beautiful, black, educated sisters in America should be appalled as to how you are being portrayed by this mess of a television show…… Slavery is over people come north.
Society
July 20th, 2011
11:00 am
Where is the real Rev Jesse Jackson when you need him?… He should be asking to see the “board” that approves the casting for the ATL show vs the others….interesting to see the diversity in that!
OnestepforwardHundredStepsBack
July 20th, 2011
11:04 am
This show gives every reason to continue RACISM in the South!
so tired of your talk
July 20th, 2011
11:22 am
@ lace– this show is not indicative of myself nor my friends. it does not portray me at all. i had a problem with it the very first year when i realized that none of them were actually from the ATL. the second season, kandi was brought on, and she is a peach, as far as i know. i cannot take this nor shows like it, personally. i do not identify with the wymon bros, martin, nor any other “celebrities” that behave the way they do on screen. as Blacks, you holler about these non-ladylike women, but you would scream in laughter at the guys. and you know you just LUVVV tyler perry. if you are going to disapprove, do so all the way. i would much rather watch non-Blacks behaving badly or…in a somewhat “stereotypical manner” than ANY AA person, at anytime. so, talk your talk– i hear you talking.
TG
July 20th, 2011
12:57 pm
I used to watch this show, but no longer. I hope others decide to boycott as well. When you think about the negative images this show perpetuates, it should infuriate us all (not just Blacks, ALL Atlantans.)
Just look at what they have chosen to represent this town! Look at the pic of the she-man standing beside the ex-con in this article. Think about the “star,” the thug beast former stripper NeNe Leakes. Think about the wig-wearing unabashed gold-digger/adulterer/former stripper Kim what’s-what’s-her face. Think about Sheree the weave wearer former NFL gold digger who gets foreclosed on MULTIPLE times, gets an Aston Martin repossessed, then has the nerve to be on TV pretending to go on a thousands-dollar shopping spree for her daughter’s apartment! Think about the desperato former model Cynthia marrying a nightclub owner reject. What about the lawyer Phaedra who marries a felon! And what of the former group singer Kandi who brags about sleeping with her former manager?! Look at what a TRAIN WRECK of a show this is! This is just not okay.
Also, we’ve been had folks. Check out the story on realitytea.com about folks talking about how FAKE this show is, how they were sitting next to a taping at a restaurant and the crew members were telling the “cast” members what to say!
Enough of this b.s.!
Talented 10th
July 20th, 2011
1:54 pm
@ so tired of your talk:
I’m quite familiar with the social behavior of upper-middle class Blacks in the South since I consider myself a part of this demographic. As I stated, I’m not willing to participate in a reality show of THIS kind, but I could provide insight on how Bravo can improve the criteria their currently using to select reality show candidates for this particular show.
Now, if the point were to uplift the masses and improve the image of Blacks on t.v., I’m positive that upper-middle class Black professional families would allow themselves to be on a reality series. They just wouldn’t participate in buffoonery on camera such as physical altercations.
@ Gerald: everything you said is the truth. Senator Moynihan’s damning study from 70’s on the state of the Black family, demise of marriage in our community & rise in the number of single mothers predicted the chaos we are dealing with today. Your post was refreshing….
so tired of your talk
July 20th, 2011
2:21 pm
talented, my friends still would not come forth. some things are private and that includes certain lifestyles. life is super short, why open oneself up to the unnecessary scrutiny of those who truly do not understand our culture, not to mention those who are secretly jealous of our success stories. do your thing and be an example to our youth– as well as to those seemingly uncouth rho-not atl.
Talented 10th
July 20th, 2011
5:00 pm
@ so tired:
Well, that’s your friends…most 1st & 2nd generation Black professionals were educated at black colleges, belonged to black organizations & only catered to a black patient/client base. Times have changed and 3rd generation Black professionals have been educated and socialized in more multi-cultural environments. They may be opened to sharing their stories.
There are many well-to-do Black Americans who’re not so secretive & are quite savvy enough and comfortable enough in their own skin to allow a reality show to exemplify how our life REALLY is. It may not be you or me or our friends, but they’re out there. I would not continue to discount us by repeatedly telling Hollywood they are not.
Again, whether you or I know these people personally may not be the case; however, just as these folks exist in other races, they exist in mine and Bravo needs to find them.
Know It All
July 20th, 2011
6:05 pm
Wow…. She looks nothing like yesterday… Cleans up well….
Dee
July 22nd, 2011
10:51 pm
The new addition to the show is a pretty poor choice BUT why are people asking if there are any white housewives in Atlanta? Are we asking the same question for Real Housewives of NY, NJ, OC or even in Miami? I think the only other African American in the Real Housewives installments was in DC and she was an excellent role model (I guess that’s the reason why Bravo cancelled it).
Charlotte, NC
July 23rd, 2011
2:47 am
Coming from your little brother 3 hours to the northeast, you all are still alright with me. However, RHOA sucks! I hate how they portray Atlanta and black women. I know it’s some sistas down there that would eat all of those women up. The only one who have has some sense is Kandi. Phaedra is a pretender. Nene should stick with trying to act her age. Sharee needs to go away. Kim…Enough said. In all honesty, all of these southern cities from Dallas/Houston over to Charlotte need a good cleaning.