A plant-based powerhouse is ready to step into the Bravosphere and speak truth amid a wave of headlines.
“I’m not just an entrepreneur, I’m a human being that has highs, that has lows, and people can see that and relate. She’s tangible,” said #RHOA’s resident restaurateur.
Pinky Cole is joining season 17 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta at a pivotal moment when she’s balancing life as a wife, mom, and CEO while opening up about both her wins and her setbacks.
“If you’re going to do this show, you’ve got to give it everything,” the Slutty Vegan founder told BOSSIP. You’ve got to be open and be an open book.”
That openness includes letting viewers in on one of the most difficult chapters of her journey.
After a company restructure that temporarily cost her ownership of Slutty Vegan, Pinky ultimately bought the brand back, which later came alongside a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and mounting financial pressures tied to loans and tax obligations.
She told BOSSIP that at one point, everything was falling apart behind the scenes.
“Here it is, I’m raising $250,000 for people, and my company is falling apart,” she said. “I died on the inside before anybody else went to my funeral.”
Even as recent headlines swirled about creditors seizing her Georgia home and changing the locks, Pinky says she had already done the emotional work.
“Before the world knew what was going on, I suffered in silence,” she said. “So by the time all of the news started to hit the media, I had already begun my healing process.”
And now she is flipping the narrative with a series of skits tied to the negative press she’s received. Her most recent spoofed her getting the keys back to her rental property with a reenactment of the infamous Ms. Parker scene from Friday.
“You going to troll me? I’m going to troll you back,” she told BOSSIP with a laugh.
Still, Pinky is clear-eyed about the reality of public scrutiny.
“Controversy is what sells,” she said. “But at the end of the day, I’ve got a thick skin because I had to suffer alone by myself.”
Season 17 will show that journey in full, including the breakdown of her business and what it took to rebuild it.
“I really go deep into the breakdown in my business,” she said. “Not as a victim, but I am sharing my story so that you can feel empowered and inspired.”
She continued,
“I’m not just an entrepreneur,” she added. “I’m a human being that has highs, that has lows, and people can see that and relate. She’s tangible.”
Beyond the business, #RHOA watchers will also get a closer look at her personal life, including her marriage to Derrick “Big Dave” Hayes, the CEO of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks CEO whom she wed in 2023.
“He didn’t want to do it in the beginning, if we’re being honest,” she said.
According to Pinky, they went back and forth about putting their lives on display, but she ultimately saw the bigger picture.
“We are Atlanta royalty. Why wouldn’t we utilize this opportunity?” she said.
And when it comes to the fellow housewives, Pinky says the dynamic is exactly what you would expect.
“We got a couple screws loose,” she joked to BOSSIP with a laugh. “Sometimes I’m at the table like, ‘What did I sign up for?’”
Still, beneath the tension, she sees something deeper.
“It feels like a sisterhood, and sisterhood is not always going to be easy.”
She has also found her footing alongside fellow newcomer and her Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. sister K. Michelle, who she also considers a true sister within the cast.
“That’s my sister,” Pinky said. “I don’t think I would have been able to do this without her.”
Their bond extends beyond filming and into real life, offering both support and strategy as they navigate the group together.
At the same time, Pinky is clear about the energy she brings into the space.
“I can’t be tested,” she said. “I know who I am and I know whose I am.”
And at the end of the day, she’s showing up exactly as she is.
“I’m different,” she said. “And I think that’s what this show needed.”
Watch the premiere of RHOA, Sunday, April 5 at 8/7c on Bravo and streaming the next day on Peacock.
