Cynthia Denise Bailey (born February 19, 1967) is an American model, reality television personality, podcaster and actress. Born and raised in Alabama, she moved to New York City at the age of 18 to pursue a modeling career. There, she signed a five-year contract with Wilhelmina Models, and subsequently appeared as a model in various magazines and advertising campaigns. She worked as a runway model in Paris and Milan.
Cynthia Denise Bailey was born on February 19, 1967, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Tuscumbia.[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]
2010–2016: The Real Housewives of Atlanta and other work
In 2010, Bailey joined the Bravo reality television show The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which featured her relationship with club owner Peter Thomas and her friendship with NeNe Leakes.[10] She was introduced in the show's third season along with Phaedra Parks.[20] 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 by Bravo 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 the Southern 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") for Jaheim's 2013 album Appreciation Day.[21][22][23] In the "Age Ain't a Factor" video, she was shown in a fictional Essence article on "Ageless Beauty", alongside LisaRaye McCoy and Vivica A. Fox.[21] The "Baby x3" video focuses on infidelity with Bailey and Thomas portraying "secret lovers".[22]
Bailey was a guest judge for the preliminary and finals competition of the 65th Miss Universe competition.[29] 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 a lipoma tumor from her left shoulder blade. The procedure was successful without any reported complications.[30] In 2019, Bailey guest starred in an episode of Last Call,[31] and acted in How High 2, the sequel to the 2001 film How High.[14] She started a line of bags, named CB VIOR,[18][32] as well as a line of candles, leather goods, and eyewear.[18]
Bailey opened a wine bar, The Bailey Wine Cellar, and an event space, The Bailey Room, in Grant Park, Atlanta in July 2019.[33][34][35] The same year, she had a partnership with Seagram, creating a signature drink, a Bellini cocktail.[34][36] It was sold in April 2019. The launch party was shown on an eleventh season episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In it, Leakes is angry that Bailey had invited Kenya Moore to the event without her knowledge.[34] The incident was discussed during the season's reunion episodes,[37] and Leakes and Bailey publicly ended their friendship.[38] Bailey is a brand ambassador for Seagram since 2018.[39] In 2019, she guest-starred on Star and Tales.[14][40]
Bailey chose to leave The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2021, after being a part of the series for eleven seasons.[41] She starred in the first season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, a spin-off featuring various women from The Real Housewives franchise, which premiered on Peacock in 2021.[42][43] In an Essence interview conducted in the same year, she said she was shifting her focus from reality television to acting.[39] Bailey had a recurring role in the second season of Games People Play as documentarian Ndasia.[44]
In 2022, Bailey competed as a HouseGuest the third season of Celebrity Big Brother, placing third in the competition.[45] The same year, she appeared in the 2022 Lifetime movie Cruel Instruction.[46] The following year, Bailey returned to The Real Housewives of Atlanta as a guest for its fifteenth season.[47]
In 2024, it was announced that Bailey would be returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta in a "friend of" capacity for its sixteenth season.[48] As of October 2024, Bailey is set to co-host the Humble Brag with Crystal and Cynthia podcast alongside Crystal Kung Minkoff, focusing on topics related to pop culture, reality television and celebrities.[49]
Personal life
Bailey dated Jayson Williams in 1996,[10][50] and he proposed to her during a New Jersey Netshalftime show.[51] She rejected the proposal and returned the engagement ring to him.[51][52] She also turned down a marriage proposal from Russell Simmons.[52] Bailey had a romantic relationship with Leon Robinson, and on November 9, 1999, she gave birth to their daughter, Noelle.[16][53] During her pregnancy, Bailey learned she had a uterine fibroid, which she described as "the size of a grape"; she chose to treat this with uterine fibroid embolization rather than a hysterectomy 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.[54]
Bailey married Peter Thomas on July 24, 2010, at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History;[55] the wedding was shown on a season three episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.[56] In 2013, Bailey and Thomas published a book about their relationship entitled Carry-On Baggage: Our Nonstop Flight.[57] They publicly announced their separation in 2016, and their divorce was finalized in March 2017.[58][59][60] 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 from The Real Housewives of Atlanta convinced her to purchase a house instead.[61]
Bailey publicly announced her relationship with Fox Sports correspondent Mike Hill in August 2018.[62] Hill and Bailey became engaged in July 2019,[63] and were married on October 10, 2020.[64] Bailey said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, strict rules were implemented for the wedding, such as mandatory social distancing and face masks or face shields, to protect the 250 guests and a deep cleaning of the Acworth, Georgia venue.[65] However, Bailey received criticism on social media following the release of pictures and videos that showed guests not wearing masks.[65][66] She announced in October 2022 that she filed for divorce from Hill,[67] which was finalized the same year.[68]
