In a candid and emotional interview with Access Hollywood, Ariana Biermann, the 23-year-old daughter of Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak, opened up about her mother’s heartbreaking divorce from former NFL player Kroy Biermann. The reality TV starlet didn’t hold back, sharing raw details about the unraveling of her parents’ marriage, her thoughts on Kim’s ongoing feud with Kandi Burruss, and her hopes for her mom’s potential return to RHOA. Alongside these revelations, Ariana teased exciting details about her new venture, Next Gen NYC, and the friendships—and feuds—that define the show.
Ariana revealed the devastating toll her parents’ divorce has taken on her, admitting that she pleaded with her mother to reconsider splitting from Kroy, 39. “I begged my mom, I was like, ‘I don’t want you guys to get divorced. Please no. Like, I love your love,’” she shared, her voice heavy with emotion. For a time, reconciliation seemed possible, with hope lingering “in the air.” However, Ariana now believes there’s “absolutely no” chance of her parents reuniting. The final nail in the coffin? Kroy’s bitter fight for full custody of their children, which Ariana suspects was the breaking point.
“I try to keep my relationship with both of them very separate,” Ariana explained, distancing herself from the tabloid frenzy surrounding the divorce. “I don’t read the tabloids. I don’t want to know. I don’t like to know. Everyone spins it how they want.” Despite the public drama, Ariana emphasized her family’s efforts to stay united through the ordeal. “It’s definitely been a difficult couple of years, but [we’re] trying to just stay together as much as we can in whatever ways to get through this,” she said.
Ariana also addressed her mother’s long-standing tension with RHOA veteran Kandi Burruss, 49. Despite their mothers’ rocky history, Ariana and Kandi’s daughter, Riley Burruss, 22, have managed to keep their friendship intact. “We’re grown women now,” Ariana said, reflecting on how their childhood bond was disrupted by their mothers’ drama. “We were 10. That was kind of the reason we stopped being friends. How do we get to each other’s houses? How do we do anything?” Now, as co-stars on Next Gen NYC, the two have rekindled their connection, even joking about wanting to “parent trap” their moms to mend their fractured friendship.
While Kandi has stepped away from RHOA, Ariana believes her mother, now 47, is ready for a triumphant return to the Bravo franchise. “She’s in a totally different era of her life than she has been for the last 13 years, and I think it’d be awesome,” Ariana enthused, hinting at Kim’s potential to shake things up on the show.
Reflecting on her childhood in the spotlight, Ariana recalled how her mother’s larger-than-life persona on RHOA impacted her social life. “People saw my mom drinking wine and smoking her cigarettes on [RHOA], and so second moms got a wave of that and my mom saying the F word and whatever,” she shared. The result? “They were like, ‘You’re not allowed to be friends with her. You can’t go to her house,’ definitely a few of those.” Despite the challenges, Ariana has embraced her reality TV roots and is now carving her own path in the industry.
Ariana’s latest project, Next Gen NYC, promises to deliver drama, heart, and plenty of star power. She was thrilled when her longtime friend Gia Giudice, 24, daughter of Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice, approached her about joining the show. “Gia honestly reached out to me and was like, ‘We’re doing this. You have to come and do the show with me,’” Ariana recounted. “I was like, ‘This is a really fun opportunity. Live in New York City and meet a bunch of new people.’”
On the show, Ariana has formed tight bonds with Gia, Riley, and Emira D’Spain, with whom she frequently enjoys double dates. She also hit it off with Brooks Marks, 25, whom Gia introduced her to. “Brooks, who I love,” she gushed. However, not every connection was smooth. Ariana admitted to clashing with co-star Charlie Zakkour, labeling her the “villain” of the group. “We definitely get into it quite a bit,” she revealed, adding that “some comments from some other girls on the show” also sparked tension.
Brooks, on the other hand, earned the title of “peacemaker,” while either Charlie or Riley takes the crown for partying the hardest. As for Ariana and Riley’s dynamic, their friendship remains as strong as ever, with Ariana joking that their conversations about boyfriends haven’t changed since their RHOA days. “She’s like, ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, Hudson.’ And Riley, I feel like it’s the same way with her mom. Boys have to go through the loops for Kandi to approve,” she laughed.
As Ariana steps into the spotlight with Next Gen NYC, she’s embracing the opportunity to tell her own story while navigating the complexities of her family’s public struggles. From her heartfelt plea to save her parents’ marriage to her hopes of seeing her mom back on RHOA, Ariana’s interview paints a picture of a young woman balancing loyalty, ambition, and authenticity. With new friendships blossoming and old wounds healing, Ariana Biermann is ready to take on the Big Apple—and the world.