Shamea Morton is — to paraphrase a quote from one of The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s most-infamous moments — “very rich, bitch!”
The franchise’s newest full-time Housewife made her debut on the season 16 premiere, which aired Sunday, March 9. And though it was clear from the get-go that Morton has the coins, the mother of two insisted she’s more than her money.
“My $9 million dollar house was the second largest sale in Georgia that year. But you know what, I don’t even get down like that,” Morton said, noting that family is “the most important thing” to her. “I hate being defined by my wealth.”
“If you can afford to buy me the cheapest house tequila at the bar, let’s do it,” she added. “I might spit it out over there. And then, let’s buy us the good stuff!”
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Shamea Morton on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 16 premiere.
Wilford Harewood/Bravo
Morton may be more than her funds, but Real Housewives fans on Sunday certainly weren’t seeing past it. Among the social media comments were many praising Morton’s “opulence,” and talking about how she brought wealth back to the Bravo franchise.
Pal Porsha Williams was even asked about her best friend’s funds on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “There’s real life Black queens in Atlanta and she is one of them for sure,” Williams said. “Her and her husband, they’re very successful. And she is one of the people who deserve that.
So what exactly do Morton and her husband, Gerald Mwangi, do? Well, the couple — who share daughters Shya, 6, and Shiloh, 2 — each have their own lanes of success, Morton in the entertainment industry and Mwangi in mechanical contracting.
She originally studied broadcast journalism at Morris Brown College, earning a dual degree from Georgia State University in psychology and sociology before pivoting into entertainment. Her acting credits have included Will Trent, Ride Along 2, and CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (in which she starred alongside current RHOA costar Drew Sidora). She was also a professional cheerleader, for both the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Falcons.
“Career wise, I like to coin myself the female Jamie Foxx. I’m a quadruple threat. I am an actress, a singer, a dancer, a host,” said Morton. “It just kind of happened that way because I’m a lover of music, I’m a lover of arts, I’m a lover of people. I’m blessed to be able to do it all.”
As for Mwangi, he specifically works in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). “Some of the airports you’ve walked though, my husband has built, manufactured and installed the HVACs,” Morton added. “There you have it!”
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Gerald Mwangi and Shamea Morton on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 16 premiere.
Wilford Harewood/Bravo
Morton and Mwangi have been together for 11 years. As she recalled on Sunday’s RHOA, the two met at Rose Bar nightclub in Atlanta in October 2014 when he bought her a drink, but things didn’t go beyond that. They later connected again when she attended a cookout at his house with friends.
“I’m like, ‘He gotta have a lot of baggage cause ain’t nobody letting this good man just walk around Atlanta,’ ” she quipped. “But… we had the best time.”
The next day, Mwangi called and asked her on a date despite the fact that she had “blew up his bathroom” when she stayed the night after the cookout. “Hallelujah, thank you Jesus, this man accepted me for me and all of everything I did to that man’s bathroom,” she joked. “And we ain’t parted ways since. … that man love me.”
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Shamea Morton’s house on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 16.
Bravo/YouTube
As for their Buckhead abode, Morton and Mwangi — who purchased the property in 2010 — call it Sterling Hall.
“This is how amazing Shamea’s house is,” Friend of the Housewives, Cynthia Bailey, said on the premiere as she arrived at the property for Morton’s birthday party. “It didn’t even come with an address on the invite, it just said ‘Sterling Hall.’ This is wealth, honey!”
Images of the house were shown throughout the premiere. Furnished to the nines with elegant chandeliers, colorful fabrics and textured wallpaper, every room is grander than the last.
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Shamea Morton’s house on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 16.
Bravo/YouTube
A great room with tall, beamed ceilings and a stunning fireplace sits off the double island kitchen with gray cabinets and cream countertops.
There are plenty of spaces to entertain throughout, including a movie theater, a music room with a white grand piano, a penthouse and a wood-paneled den with a marble bar. Plus, there’s a sprawling backyard with, among other amenities, a pool and hot tub.
To travel to the other floors of the property — including the bedrooms and Morton’s extravagant walk-in closet — one can take the spiral staircase or hop in the mirrored elevator.
“I love that she has an elevator,” Sidora said. “I actually would ride this just for run if I had this in my house.
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Shamea Morton’s house on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 16.
Bravo/YouTube
As if that weren’t enough, there’s something special sitting in the driveway: a $430,000 Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Mwangi gifted his wife the wheels at her birthday party and had Morton jumping up and down and hugging him with gratitude.
“Oh my God, who doesn’t want a Cullinan Rolls-Royce?” Sidora said.
Joked Bailey, “If I had these kind of birthday presents I [would have] tried to make my marriages work!”
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Shamea Morton’s house on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 16.
Bravo/YouTube
Morton had appeared as a Friend on RHOA for years before getting promoted to a full-time Housewife for season 16, amid a cast reboot.
Alongside returning favorites Williams, Sidora and Bailey will be Phaedra Parks, coming back to the series after departing following season 9. New stars including author, businesswoman and podcast host Brittany Eady; restaurateur and Food Network alum Kelli Ferrell as well as Angela Oakley, the wife of retired NBA star Charles Oakley.
As viewers learned in the first episode, Morton holds them all together. “Everybody knows I’m Atlanta’s best friend and in this friend group, I am the glue,” she boasted in the premiere.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.