The search for a new and fresh love is officially over for this Georgia peach! Porsha Williams has hard-launched her first public relationship since finalizing her divorce. Confirmation of Porsha Williams’ new girlfriend, Patrice “Sway” McKinney, came via a dedicated and affectionate birthday tribute on Instagram, solidifying her new chapter.
On Friday, November 28, the Real Housewives of Atlanta star, who filed for divorce from ex-husband Simon Guobadia in February 2024, posted a carousel of photos and videos of herself and McKinney. The images showed the pair embracing in front of a glitzy Christmas tree setup, along with clips of them dancing at a club. Porsha’s caption cemented the relationship: “The Happiest Birthday @sway_thepro… Hope this year continues to bring you everything you want and more! 🥂🍾. Can’t wait to act up saturday!”
This public declaration follows months of speculation. As previously reported, after finalizing her divorce in June, Porsha revealed at Culture Con in October that she was dating two different people—a man and a woman—and had narrowed her dating pool down to them both. This conversation came after Porsha had pondered the possibility of dating a woman following the heartbreak of her marriage, saying, “I was sitting there, I was like, ‘Do I like women enough? Can I get with a woman? Who can come in and fill this void?’”
Porsha Williams’ New Girlfriend Shows Her A Non-‘Narcissistic’ Love
According to the mother of one, this relationship was largely defined by Porsha’s stated realization that she needed to break her destructive cycle of dating narcissists. She admitted at the panel, “What I talked about with my therapist the other day was — I’m having a hard time opening up because they’re not narcissists.” She elaborated, “And guess what narcissists do? They love bomb you, they do everything, they look perfect, they mirror you.”
Porsha’s new girlfriend is Patrice “Sway” McKinney, the founder of Encore Salon Suites, a successful enterprise known as the first Black-owned salon suite franchise. Sway, a master barber and stylist, has an impressive background: she reportedly turned down both a professional basketball career and a corporate job to launch her business, which now boasts multiple locations.
Porsha found the non-narcissistic dynamic “challenging.” She explained that her new partner(s) were “asking me questions, they’re not letting me walk over them, they aren’t just doing whatever they need to do to get into the relationship, and so I’m not feeling safe enough to open up yet.” This required a major shift for the reality star, who admitted, “If you want something different, you have to also be different. I have to soften up a bit.”
The hard launch of Porsha’s new girlfriend must mean that she feels healed. You may recall, shortly after her separation from Guoabadia, Williams vowed to remain single until she was whole again. However, for fans, seeing Porsha step into this new relationship with confidence and joy—and with a woman who is a successful entrepreneur—is seen as a powerful and positive step forward.
