The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Kandi Burruss and her daughter Riley Burruss are offering a new look at their relationship.
The Housewife alum and the Next Gen NYC cast member were joined by Kandi’s mother, Joyce Jones a.k.a Mama Joyce, for a People special published on Sept. 24 in which they discussed the bonds of motherhood and family. Kandi, for her part, admitted she was “one of those moms where Riley could tell [her] anything.”
Citing her mother’s lifelong support, Kandi said she was “so proud” of the now-23-year-old Riley. Continued the Grammy Award winner, “She applied and graduated from [NYU] without any real help from us, did everything herself, and now she is doing what she said she’d do. She graduated in four years and has her own TV show, and it’s a hit.”
Kandi added of her daughter, who was only 7 years old when debuting on RHOA, “She’s growing in her own light and shining.”
And for Riley, the love was mutual for her “insanely powerful and talented” mother. As she told People, “Literally any time I’m confused about something in the world, I call her because I don’t think anyone could give me a better answer than her. I’m always checking my mom’s opinions for everything.”
Details on Kandi and Riley Burruss’ appearance at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys
Earlier this month, mother and daughter turned heads at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys in LA, where they jointly presented the nominees for Outstanding Structured Reality Program. The pair stunned in black and gold glam on the red carpet.
Related: Riley Burruss Reveals a Romantic New Look at Life with Her Boyfriend as She Marks New Chapter
On their way to the Peacock Theater, as seen in a video by Kandi, the mom captured Riley eating buffalo cauliflower. As Riley defended, “We gotta eat around here … I know we’re in LA, but I’m not LA.”
That evening, the NYC-based daughter shared a snap from the event, tagging her Atlanta-based mother with a heart emoji.
How Kandi Burruss supports Riley’s education and career
Both women appeared on the July 15 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where Riley expressed an interest in furthering her education with a Master’s Degree. So long as the daughter pursued an education, Riley admitted her mother hadn’t financially cut her off, as once promised and featured in Next Gen NYC.
Related: Ariana Biermann Sheds New Light on Her Friendship with Riley Burruss After Next Gen NYC
The NYU grad, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in music business in 2024, said, “We’ll see which school … I don’t like to tell everyone exactly what I’m doing, but I’m going to get my master’s. I’m studying now to take the test in August.”
Added Kandi, “Yeah, so y’all pray for my baby that she pass and gets high scores on her test.”
Riley also told Bravo’s The Daily Dish in May that she was studying for the LSATs to pursue law and business. “I think, for me, my main priority is studying for the LSAT, of course, and getting a great score, and getting into Columbia. And my second goal is just to continue working on myself. You know, I’m only 22, so I feel like there’s a lot of self-work that would be very needed at this age of your life. And I just want to make sure I’m doing the best I can with myself.”
Where does Riley Burruss stand with her dad, Russell Spencer?
Riley and her father, Russell “Block” Spencer, continue to have a strong relationship, which was somewhat kept away from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. As Kandi said back in 2016, “For me, that was never anything I want to exploit, the relationship between my daughter and her father.”
For Riley’s 23rd birthday, Russell took to social media to wish his daughter a “Happy B’day to [his] baby girl.”
Continued Russell, “[Kandi] u could have waited a couple of more [hours] and she would have been a [Virgo] and born on the same day as ME!” In the comments, the Housewife replied, “Absolutely not. She was already a week overdue.”
Check out the epic reason Riley and her mom came together for a good cause.
