Demetria McKinney: The Scoop With The Hip-Hop Socialite!!!

The Hip-Hop Socialite recaps the hottest celebrity news and gossip of the last week, and drops a few exclusives…

Demetria McKinney Talks RHOA, Being Shaded By Nene And Phaedra, Claudia Jordan, And Her Singing Career

Last night’s premiere of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was only a taste – though a satisfying one – of what’s to come. Apollo Nida’s legal drama and the fallout from the demise of the friendship between NeNe Leakes and Cynthia Bailey are just a few of the storylines RHOA fans will watch unfold this season, and two new “wives” – Claudia Jordan and Demetria McKinney – are along for the drama-filled, shade throwing ride.

Most people know Demetria from her various acting roles, including her stint playing Janine Payne on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, but fans will get to see a more personal side of her on RHOA. Along with trying to make for herself as a recording artist, the Florida native is a single mother, and in a relationship with the former Executive Vice President of Tyler Perry Studios, Roger Bobb.

As a diehard fan of RHOA, I recently jumped at the chance to get on the phone with Demetria, and our conversation flowed like I was speaking to an old girlfriend. We talked about her experience taping the show, her relationship with her fellow RHOA newbie Claudia Jordan (that’s her GIRL!!), Claudia getting promoted to a full-fledged peach holder, whether or not she clicked with Ms. Twirl (Kenya Moore), and what members of the cast she can live without (cough, cough, Nene and Phaedra). You’re going to love all the tea Ms. McKinney is serving honey!! Check out highlights from our chat below.

ON JOINING THE CAST OF RHOA:

“The way I got started with The Real Housewives of Atlanta was actually, my passion had to come forward. I’ve been acting, I’ve enjoyed doing House of Payne and The Rickey Smiley Show and Devious Maids and all that stuff, but music has always been my passion. I was approached about it – I’ve been approached by reality TV before – but now that I’m really trying to get this music out and establish myself as an artist in that genre, I really had to give people the opportunity to know who I am.”

ON THE EXPERIENCE OF SHOOTING RHOA:

“Terrifying, fun, and unexpected. It’s totally different than acting like a character. For the first time ever, I’m actually going to be judged as me instead of Janine or whoever else I’ve played. So it’s been exhilarating, but at the same time, you feel a little bit naked.”

ON NOT BEING ABLE TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH NENE:

“Well I came into this with open eyes for everybody. Even the people that I felt like I was acquainted with before because I know that knowing somebody outside of the game can be a little bit different when they start playing with you. You know what I mean? So I came in with a clean slate for everybody, gave everybody an opportunity to know who I was and get to know who they were, and Nene, uh-uh honey. I respect what she’s been able to do with this platform, but sometimes the personality can get in the way of the good of the situation. So I think she’s you know, she’s not happy – it shows, and it shows to everybody, and that’s just not cute. You don’t have to be nasty to everybody. Hell, be happy.”

“Well, it was weird because I felt like she was giving me a chance, but as I’m coming to realize, she was kind of blowing my head off behind the scenes. Because I didn’t come in and just start acting reckless, you know. I have a brand that was established before. I’m not being made by reality television, you know what I mean? I’ve done work, I’ve put in my dues, and I respect what I do, and I respect the fans that have come along with me. So I’m not going to come in there and just start acting all extra flamboyant and doing too much for no reason.”

ON NENE AND PHAEDRA CONSIDERING HER BORING AND PHAEDRA CALLING HER ‘DAY OLD COMMUNION BREAD’ ON THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW:

“I think the thing that she [Nene] and Phaedra have in common is that they feel that I am boring. At one point Phaedra called me ‘day old communion bread’ on a popular television show. And in the event that my husband is not going to jail, in the even that I’m not having an affair, in the event that my practice is not going well, I guess I would seem kind of boring, you know what I mean? Like I don’t have all that drama in my life. I’m genuinely happy, I’m genuinely comfortable with who I am, and because I don’t have to come in and fight for position with anybody, they just feel like I’m just there looking around.”

ON HOW SHE CLICKED WITH THE OTHER LADIES:

“Like at one point, it’s gets interesting with me and a couple of the girls, but I try to keep it cute until they just won’t let me. I thought that with me and Nene both being in the acting realm, I thought that with Porsha and I hanging out before the divorce from Kordell, you know, we’d be a lot closer than we were. And surprisingly, I clicked with Claudia ’cause everybody was really trying to tell me, ‘oh, she coming for you; she tried to get at you,’ duh, duh, duh, duh. So I came in kind of with my arms up, you know, fight status, and she was like, ‘nah, I’m good.’ From that point, we were straight. Cynthia always has been cool with me, and then I was really, really kind of taken back by the fact that me and Kenya got along. I met her ten years ago, and I was like ya’ll could have miss me with that – it just wasn’t good. But people change, and that’s a long time for people to grow, change and explore new options of who they want to be. And so this person that I met in this round, yeah, I’m cool with that.”

ON CLAUDIA’S PROMOTION AND PORSHA’S DEMOTION:

“That day was interesting. I was not the least bit surprised by Claudia. Claudia, like I said, everybody has their own thing, and Claudia is unexpectedly raw. That plays well for her, so I was actually…I congratulated her. I called her immediately, ‘congratulations girl.’ Porsha, that thing kind of took me by surprise ’cause I wasn’t really…I didn’t see that coming. Didn’t see that one coming at all, but she’s maintained well. She’s done really well with the situation that’s been handed to her, so we’ll just have to see how that one plays out.”

ON IF SHE THINKS CLAUDIA NOT HESITATING TO TURN UP IS ONE OF THE REASONS SHE WAS PROMOTED TO FULL FLEDGED PEACH HOLDER:

“I think so, I think so. Claudia and I – the reason that we clicked so well is because we’re two sides of the same coin. Like I definitely know how to turn up, but I have a brake. Claudia has no chill, period, point blank. Once she’s got her sights set on you, she’s not going to stop until she sees you like, bleeding and asking for help from somebody else. I make my point, and then I move on, so I think it was just something that they were looking for and a different dynamic that I was giving at that time. Prayerfully, prayerfully, once the people see who I am and get to know me and understand what exactly I bring to the table, there’ll be some people that can relate to that, and then we’ll see what happens.”

ON WHICH LADIES ARE A PART OF HER CLIQUE ON THE SHOW:

“People have called us Team Pretty. and that is so flattering, but I’m hoping that’s not just for the whole, you know, looks thing. Me, Cynthia, Claudia, and Kenya, and what we’ve really tried to do as a collective is show that, you know, yeah, we can definitely turn up, but we really want to promote sisterhood as well. Like we let each other know when we’re wrong; we definitely have our moments, but on a whole, we are really, really trying to uplift each other in the midst of all the other chaos that comes at us on this show. So that’s my clique right there.”

ON BEING LABELED A “GOLD DIGGER” BECAUSE OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH ROGER BOBB:

“I was very aware [that she's been labeled a 'gold digger']. That’s actually really funny. It was really, really funny to me because if I was a gold digger, I would have not bought my own home, cash, I would not own every vehicle with the title being in my name, and I would have dang sure not worked as hard as I have to get to where I am, and I probably would have been a lot further. So it was just really funny, and it’s going to be interesting to read what people are saying about me after they see the actual show.”

“I’m a single mom; I’ve been doing my thing before him, and what people will realize is our relationship is genuine. Like we didn’t just connect because it was going to be profitable for one side or the other. It’s a genuine relationship, we really, really, really respect each other, and yeah, we help each other from time to time, but it ain’t on no, ‘oh, I’mma get what I can get from sugar daddy, and um (smacks lips)’. No, it ain’t that.”

ON PHAEDRA THROWING SHADE AND HER THOUGHTS ON HOW PHAEDRA IS DOING IN LIGHT OF APOLLO’S INCARCERATION:

“To me she’s not doing well. You know, when you can go on Ellen and be asked the real, hard questions, and deflect to talking bad about other people, that shows that you’re not ready to confront your truth. So whatever she’s got going on…and the sad part is, I would love to be there for her. I would love to be able to say, ‘do you need anything? Can I help with anything? Can I help with the kids?’ You know, she’s about to step into my realm which is single motherhood, so I know how hard that can be, but you can’t throw rocks at people and then expect them to help you. You know what I mean?”

“Sure did [Phaedra's comments on Ellen catching her off guard]. But the difference between she and what I’ve heard that Nene’s been saying about me was she actually said it to my face. Just really, really nice-nasty digs. And I’m talking about, you know, it’s not where it’s like, you know, one moment here, one moment there, nah. It was unmistakably, USDA Grade A certified shade that she was trying to throw at me for no reason. I don’t know why, can’t tell you, but at one point, it just got to be too much, and I had to just let her know I’m not her. Please don’t mistake the kindness for weakness.”

ON HER ACTING AND SINGING CAREERS:

“It’s going great. House of Payne is still in syndication; people have been supporting that to the nth power, and I’m super appreciative of that. The Rickey Smiley Show is coming back for another season, and I play Monica on that. I’ve got a movie coming out called Let the Church Say Amen with Hosea Chanchez, Naturi Naughton – it’s a bunch of different people in there. It’s really, really good. And then the music – my single, “100” featuring Da Brat, has been number thirty-something on the R&B charts, and we really haven’t even started promoting it yet. So it’s been really, really good, and once we’ve finished taping – this schedule is like none other – once we finish taping, then I’ll jump back into the…I don’t want to say the real acting stuff, but what I’m used to.”

Before saying our goodbyes, Demetria made sure to shout out her day one supporters (aka the Demetrians), including Iesha Marie, Chel Bell, Sydney Simone and Faith B (my apologies if I spelled anyone’s name wrong). I thought she came off as very down-to-earth during the course of our conversation, but the thoughtful gesture of recognizing her most loyal supporters let me know that my opinion was right on target..

You can catch Demetria on The Real Housewives of Atlanta every Sunday night at 8 pm on Bravo. To keep up with her on social media, be sure to follow her on Twitter @demimckinney and Instagram @demetria4real.

Article by: JUICY STAFF