The once-fairy-tale romance between The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams and businessman Simon Guobadia has taken a sharp turn into regret and recrimination. In a candid interview last June, just days after their divorce was finalized, Guobadia did not hold back, describing the 15-month marriage as a costly mistake and claiming he was “targeted” financially from the start.
The couple’s story began controversially in 2021 when Williams entered Guobadia’s direct messages while he was still finalizing his previous divorce. They became engaged after just one month — a timeline Guobadia now calls impulsive.
“I was targeted from day one for financial reasons… Getting engaged in 30 days — who does that? I was out of my goddamn mind to have done that. And of course I’m paying dearly for it.”
Guobadia said he was blindsided when Williams filed for divorce and claimed he repeatedly sought answers from her.
“I told, I said to her in one of my text messages to her because she didn’t respond because I kept asking, why did you file for a divorce? And she wouldn’t say anything. I talked, you know, I tried to reach her mom. Her mom would not respond either. I later figured out this felt like a coup, you know, when you, when, you know, I don’t know if you’re familiar with, I’m from, I say, because I’m from Nigeria and that we were ruled at one point by the military.”
He continued the analogy:
“And so every so often when you want to change leadership, the president, you stage a coup. And that’s how I felt. I was totally blindsided. I was no, no member of her family, whether on the mother’s side or the father’s side, reached out to me.”
Their November 2022 wedding celebrations were marked by extravagance — a traditional Nigerian ceremony followed by a lavish American ceremony in Atlanta, complete with custom gowns, towering floral installations, and a guest list filled with Bravo personalities. At the time, they appeared every bit the glamorous power couple.
Less than two years later, in February 2024, Williams filed for divorce, citing an irretrievably broken marriage. The proceedings quickly became complicated by Guobadia’s immigration issues, including past fraud convictions and visa problems, which led to his ICE detention in early 2025 and eventual deportation to Nigeria that June.
A Georgia judge finalized the divorce on June 11, 2025, enforcing the prenuptial agreement in Williams’ favor. She was awarded $40,000 per month in alimony for the duration of the marriage — roughly $600,000 total — retained a 2021 Rolls-Royce Guobadia had gifted her and secured the right to remain in their $7 million Atlanta home for up to three years, with Guobadia responsible for the associated expenses.
By August 2025, Williams filed a contempt motion accusing Guobadia of falling behind on payments. Reports indicated she was seeking more than $667,000 in back alimony, mortgage payments, taxes, and other costs, along with liens on certain properties.
Reflecting further, Guobadia reiterated his feelings of betrayal.
“This felt like a coup,” he said, again describing how no one from Williams’ family reached out and how he repeatedly texted both her and her mother without response. “I think I was targeted from day one for financial reasons,” he added, later referring to the marriage as a “$5 million rehab project” he foolishly undertook.
He also addressed how the relationship began:
“When I filed for divorce from my previous, so, you know, ex-wife, she was in my DM praying for me. And I, you know, I think I was in a vulnerable position at that time and I entertained it. And so it just kind of snowballed from there, you know, getting engaged in 30 days, you know, I mean, who does that? I was out of my, my, my, my goddamn mind to have done that. And of course I’m paying dearly for it. Wow.”
Meanwhile, Williams appears focused on moving forward. In an interview with People, she described the divorce as emotional but ultimately a relief, saying she is concentrating on closing that chapter of her life and raising her daughter. By late 2025, she was openly dating again and has recently been linked to entrepreneur Patrice “Sway” Magee.
From whirlwind engagement to lavish weddings and a contentious split involving deportation and unpaid alimony claims, the Williams-Guobadia saga remains one of reality television’s most dramatic cautionary tales.
