Kandi Burruss‘ daughter Riley Burruss is opening up about how her mother’s divorce from Todd Tucker affected her behind the scenes.
During the August 19 episode of “Next Gen NYC,” Riley revealed that Kandi’s November 2025 divorce announcement caught her off guard, especially because Todd had been part of her family since she was young.
“Todd has been in my life since I was a kid. I think it really caught me by surprise,” Riley admitted. “And I don’t literally know how to emotionally handle this.”
Riley knew about the divorce, but she didn’t know exactly when Kandi planned to announce it publicly.
“I think people were pressing her a lot, and she was like, ‘Okay, I have to, like, publicly speak about it,'” Riley explained. “I didn’t know she was going to do it [at] that time.”
Riley Burruss Reveals Scary Way She Learned Kandi’s Divorce Was Public
Riley revealed she learned that Kandi’s divorce announcement had gone public after receiving an unexpected message from a stranger.
“I got like a text from a random number that was like, ‘Hey, is your mom okay?’ And I thought she was like sick or something…and I was calling her, she wasn’t picking up, I was really nervous,” Riley said. “It turns out she was just on the plane, that’s why she couldn’t answer my phone [call].”
While talking to Ariana Biermann, Riley admitted that dealing with a family breakup in the public eye added another layer to an already emotional situation.
“I think that a lot of us who have had our parents on TV for a long time are really good at putting this facade up—like, ‘We’re good, we’re confident, we’re okay,'” Riley told producers. “And really, we’re going through a lot of things behind the scenes. Not only do I have to deal with this divorce, I have to deal with public opinion and public questions, and navigating that.”
Riley became emotional as she explained that protecting her mother remained one of her biggest concerns.
“I’m trying to deal with my emotions and see how I feel, but also be there for my mom. I just want everything to go the best way,” she told Ariana. “I don’t want people to (expletive) on my mom, or like make my mom feel bad at all.”
The ‘Next Gen NYC’ Star Says Relationship With Todd Tucker Is ‘Not the Same’
Riley said Kandi and Todd are successfully navigating co-parenting their children, Ace and Blaze.
“I know my mom and Todd are on a good page. They’re co-parenting very well,” she said.
Her own relationship with Todd, however, has changed.
“You know, the divorce shifted a lot of things in my life,” Riley said during an August 5 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” “So, it’s not only the divorce — it’s also everything else that comes with that.”
Riley admitted there are still things that bother her, including some of Todd’s social media activity.
“There are some things that irk my nerves. You know, you sometimes look at his social media, and I’m like, ‘What is going on here?'” she said. “But, we’re OK.”
Kandi and Todd finalized their divorce on March 11 after 11 years of marriage.
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