Cynthia Bailey | |
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 Bailey in 2019 | |
| Born | Cynthia Denise Bailey (1967-02-19)February 19, 1967 (age 58) Decatur, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Known for |
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| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Cynthia Denise Bailey (born February 19, 1967) is an American model, reality television personality, podcaster and actress. Born and raised inAlabama, she moved toNew York City at the age of 18 to pursue a modeling career. There, she signed a five-year contract withWilhelmina Models, and subsequently appeared as a model in various magazines and advertising campaigns. She worked as arunway model in Paris and Milan.
Bailey has acted in films, includingWithout You I'm Nothing (1990) andFor Love or Money (1993), and on television programs, such asThe Cosby Show. She joined theBravoreality television showThe Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2010. She married Peter Thomas in 2010, and their divorce was finalized in 2017. Her relationship with sportscasterMike Hill was showcased onThe Real Housewives of Atlanta from 2018 until she left the series in 2021.
Cynthia Denise Bailey was born on February 19, 1967, inDecatur, Alabama, and raised inTuscumbia.[1][2][3] Her father, Elijah, worked at an auto factory and her mother, Barbara, worked at a sewing factory.[2] Barbara was 18 when she was pregnant with Cynthia, and had another daughter, Malorie, roughly a year later.[2][4] 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".[5]
Bailey enrolled infreshman-level courses at theUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville, and competed in localbeauty pageants.[6][7] She was the first African Americanhomecoming queen atDeshler High School.[2] After winning the event, she participated in a homecoming queen pageant. Even though she did not win, she was contacted by aWilhelmina Modelstalent scout.[8] At age 18, she moved to New York City and signed a five-year contract with themodeling agency.[9][10] She raised the money for the move throughpart-time work at a mall.[2]
Bailey appeared in the 1989 music video forNew Order's "Round & Round".[11] In 1990, she played Roxanne in the filmWithout You I'm Nothing, and remained friends with its starSandra Bernhard.[12][13]Naomi Campbell was considered for the role.[10] Bailey appeared in a 1990 episode of thesitcomThe Cosby Show.[12][14] Her audition for a role in the 1991 filmThe Five Heartbeats was featured in the 2018 documentaryThe Making of the Five Heartbeats.[15] In 1993, she played a model in the filmFor Love or Money,[13] and the following year, she appeared in the music video forHeavy D's single "Nuttin But Love" fromthe album of the same name.[16] She played a masseuse in a 1995 episode ofNew York Undercover.[12]
After working as arunway model in Paris and Milan for a year, Bailey returned to New York City and modeled forMaybelline,Oil of Olay, andTarget and in magazines includingVogue,Glamour,Elle, andVanity Fair.[7][10] She appeared on twoEssence magazine covers in June 1995 – her first job as a model – and 1997.[10][17] The magazine's theneditor-in-chiefSusan L. Taylor described Bailey as one of her favorite models.[10] Bailey's favorite modeling job was aVanity Cover shot byAnnie Leibovitz and featuringIman,Beverly Johnson, Naomi Campbell, andTyra Banks;[7] Iman had invited Bailey to participate in the shoot.[18]
In 2010, Bailey joined the Bravoreality television showThe Real Housewives of Atlanta, which featured her relationship with club owner Peter Thomas and her friendship withNeNe Leakes.[10] She was introduced in the show'sthird season along withPhaedra Parks.[19] 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 byBravo 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".[2]
In 2011, Bailey opened her modeling school, Bailey Agency School of Fashion in Atlanta;[2][5][8] the following year, she held a model search in several cites in theSouthern United States as part of a contest to win representation by a New York modeling agency.[5] Bailey appeared in a trilogy of music videos ("Age Ain't a Factor", "Baby x3", and "Chase Forever") forJaheim's 2013 albumAppreciation Day.[20][21][22] In the "Age Ain't a Factor" video, she was shown in a fictionalEssence article on "Ageless Beauty", alongsideLisaRaye McCoy andVivica A. Fox.[20] The "Baby x3" video focuses oninfidelity with Bailey and Thomas portraying "secret lovers".[21]
Bailey appeared in the 2015 documentary seriesBlack Friday, which is about how littleconsumer spending is retained withinblack communities.[23] The same year, she acted inKenya Moore'stelevision pilot,Life Twirls On.[24][25] For the character, she used aJamaican accent.[12] In 2016, she had a minor role in the filmSharknado: The 4th Awakens,[25] and guest starred onThe Next :15 alongside formerThe Real Housewives of Atlanta costarClaudia Jordan.[26] She was featured on a celebrity edition ofCupcake Wars with Nene Leakes.[27]
Bailey was a guest judge for the preliminary and finals competition of the65th Miss Universe competition.[28] In 2018, Bailey signed a contract with the New York-based agency Major Models; her daughter is also signed with the company.[9] In April 2018, Bailey underwent surgery to remove alipoma tumor from her leftshoulder blade. The procedure was successful without any reported complications.[29] In 2019, Baileyguest starred in an episode ofLast Call,[30] and acted inHow High 2, the sequel to the 2001 filmHow High.[13] She started a line of bags, named CB VIOR,[17][31] as well as a line of candles,leather goods, and eyewear.[17]
Bailey opened awine bar, The Bailey Wine Cellar, and anevent space, The Bailey Room, inGrant Park, Atlanta in July 2019.[32][33][34] The same year, she had a partnership withSeagram, creating asignature drink, aBellini cocktail.[33][35] It was sold in April 2019. The launch party was shown on aneleventh season episode ofThe Real Housewives of Atlanta. In it, Leakes is angry that Bailey had invited Kenya Moore to the event without her knowledge.[33] The incident was discussed during the season's reunion episodes,[36] and Leakes and Bailey publicly ended their friendship.[37] Bailey is abrand ambassador for Seagram since 2018.[38] In 2019, she guest-starred onStar andTales.[13][39]
Bailey chose to leaveThe Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2021, after being a part of the series for eleven seasons.[40] She starred in the first season ofThe Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, a spin-off featuring various women fromThe Real Housewives franchise, which premiered onPeacock in 2021.[41][42] In anEssence interview conducted in the same year, she said she was shifting her focus from reality television to acting.[38] Bailey had a recurring role in the second season ofGames People Play as documentarian Ndasia.[43]
In 2022, Bailey competed as a HouseGuest thethird season ofCelebrity Big Brother, placing third in the competition.[44] The same year, she appeared in the 2022Lifetime movieCruel Instruction.[45] The following year, Bailey returned toThe Real Housewives of Atlanta as a guest for itsfifteenth season.[46]
In 2024, it was announced that Bailey would be returning toThe Real Housewives of Atlanta in a "friend of" capacity for its sixteenth season.[47] As of October 2024, Bailey is set to co-host theHumble Brag with Crystal and Cynthia podcast alongsideCrystal Kung Minkoff, focusing on topics related to pop culture, reality television, and celebrities.[48]
Bailey datedJayson Williams in 1996,[10][49] and he proposed to her during aNew Jersey Netshalftime show.[50] She rejected the proposal and returned theengagement ring to him.[50][51] She also turned down a marriage proposal fromRussell Simmons.[51] Bailey had a romantic relationship withLeon Robinson, and on November 9, 1999, she gave birth to their daughter, Noelle.[15][52] During her pregnancy, Bailey learned she had auterine fibroid, which she described as "the size of a grape"; she chose to treat this withuterine fibroid embolization rather than ahysterectomy 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.[53]
Bailey married Peter Thomas on July 24, 2010, at theFernbank Museum of Natural History;[54] the wedding was shown on a season three episode ofThe Real Housewives of Atlanta.[55] In 2013, Bailey and Thomas published a book about their relationship entitledCarry-On Baggage: Our Nonstop Flight.[56] They publicly announced their separation in 2016, and their divorce was finalized in March 2017.[57][58][59] 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 fromThe Real Housewives of Atlanta convinced her to purchase a house instead.[60]
Bailey publicly announced her relationship withFox Sports correspondentMike Hill in August 2018.[61] Hill and Bailey became engaged in July 2019,[62] and were married on October 10, 2020.[63] Bailey said that due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, strict rules were implemented for the wedding, such as mandatorysocial distancing andface masks orface shields, to protect the 250 guests and adeep cleaning of theAcworth, Georgia venue.[64] However, Bailey received criticism onsocial media following the release of pictures and videos that showed guests not wearing masks.[64][65] She announced in October 2022 that she filed for divorce from Hill,[66] which was finalized the same year.[67]
| Title | Year | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Without You I'm Nothing | Roxanne | [13] |
| Whatever Happened to Mason Reese | Model #2 | Short | |
| 1993 | For Love or Money | Model | |
| 2016 | Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | Tech Addison | TV movie |
| 2019 | How High 2 | Herself | TV movie |
| 2021 | The Housewives of the North Pole | Herself | TV movie[68] |
| 2022 | Cruel Instruction | Karen Adams | TV movie[45] |
| The Stepmother | Vanessa | ||
| 2023 | Blossom | Doris Rowell | |
| Under His Influence | Ashley | ||
| Rock the Boat | Carol | ||
| 2024 | The Lost Holliday | Victoria Van Der Poole | |
| Who’s Cheating Who | Maxine |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Cosby Show | Sheniquah Watkins | Episode: "Just Thinking About It" | [14] |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Masseuse #2 | Episode: "Catman Comes Back" | [12] |
| 2010–21, 2023–present | The Real Housewives of Atlanta | Herself | Main Cast: Seasons 3-13, Guest: Season 15, Recurring: Season 16 | [10] |
| 2014 | Married to Medicine | Herself | Episode: "Blind Date" | |
| 2015 | Below Deck | Herself | Episode: "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" | |
| 2019 | Married to Medicine | Herself | Episode: "Trouble in Spa-radise" | |
| Last Call | Eloise | Episode: "Fifteen Minutes" | [30] | |
| Star | Tasha Rae | Episode: "Toxic" | [39] | |
| Tales | Sally | Episode: "Brothers" | [13] | |
| 2021 | 1st Look | Herself | Episode: "Presents: Celebrity Sleepover -- Cynthia Bailey" | |
| The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip | Herself | Main Cast: Season 1 | [41] | |
| Games People Play | N’Dasia | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | [43] | |
| 2022 | Celebrity Big Brother | Herself | Contestant:Season 3 | [44] |
| Celebrity Beef | Herself | Episode: "Reality Royalty vs. Sitcom Star" | ||
| Single Drunk Female | Noreen | Episode: "I'm Sorry, But..." | [69] | |
| Terror Lake Drive | Rose | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | [70] | |
| 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" |
| Year | Artist | Song | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | New Order | "Round & Round" | [11] |
| 1994 | Heavy D and The Boyz | "Nuttin' but Love" | |
| 2013 | Jaheim | "Age Ain't a Factor" | [20] |
| "Baby x3" | [21] | ||
| "Chase Forever" | [22] | ||
| 2019 | Luann de Lesseps | "Feelin' Jovani" |
| Title | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Black Friday | [23] |