If you know anything about Phaedra Parks, it’s that the TV personality and attorney is a woman who has many jobs. One of her latest appointments is to call out cereal liars who can’t admit that they prefer the taste of Silk Almondmilk to traditional milk of the dairy ilk. The star not only enjoys it, but her sons, Ayden, 14, and Dylan, 11, do too.
“I love it in my cornflakes because I’m from the south, and so I grew up putting a little sugar in the cornflakes. But with Silk Almondmilk, you don’t need any sugar. The actual almond milk itself tastes like cereal milk after you add a little sugar. It is the right amount of sweetness. I love it.”
So in early January, she came to New York City to host a Silk pop-up with a live test taste. Those who tried Silk vs. milk could then take a lie detector done by polygraph specialist John Grogan. Those who truly didn’t believe Silk tasted better based on their polygraph results would get $50.
“Not many people beat it,” she says. “I think we had a 95% failure rate. So most people definitely prefer Silk over milk.”
We talked with Parks about what brought her to the almond milk side over dairy, her return to Real Housewives of Atlanta for their sixteenth season and bringing Frick and Frack back together, and of course, how she balances parenting two growing boys with all those jobs, and the ways she’s setting them up for success in the future — and the present.
ESSENCE: First and foremost, what inspired you to come over to the almond milk side with Silk? Do you love the taste more? Is it healthier habits? Are you lactose intolerant?
Phaedra Parks: Well, I’ll say it’s a few things. I consider myself a flexitarian. Dairy is not always the best, particularly for African Americans, because a lot of us are lactose intolerant — thank God I’m not. I try to incorporate plant-based things into my diet. And my sons, I’ve got two sons, 14 and 11, they love it. From a calorie standpoint, the calories are lower than dairy. But then, from a nutrition standpoint, 50% more calcium than dairy. So with all of those things, I mean, it is the better alternative.
What was it like to take part in the cereal liar popup? I know you know how to catch liars in the act. But I heard they put you to the test, too. What did they catch you fibbing about on the lie detector?
I only had two untruths. One of them was they asked me if I thought I was the most iconic housewife, and I said absolutely not. And he said that was not true. But I think it would be just very, very overly confident to assume that you are the most iconic. But I think I’ve definitely added something to the Housewives franchise, and I think I’ve shown people that you can always reinvent yourself and you can pivot. And as an African-American woman, I think I’ve shown hopefully other women of color that you can do anything that you’re willing to work hard at. And everybody knows I have lots of careers and jobs, honey. I just keep going. I love it. I’m like a battery, honey.
I love that. And I also love that you’re returning to Real Housewives of Atlanta. Frick and frack are back. How are you feeling about reuniting with Porsha Williams and also just being back with the franchise, knowing all you’ve contributed to it?
I mean, it’s like coming home. Once you ride a bike, you never need training wheels again because you get back on it and you get moving. And so, of course, I adore Porsha. We’ve always had a wonderful relationship when we are together. I think it’s TV gold, TV magic, to be able to be welcomed back so warmly by not only her but the new ladies as well. It was a special moment for me because this is where most people got to know me. And so I’m enjoying myself. It’s going to be an amazing season. It’s going to put us back in the forefront of everyone’s Sunday night programming because it’ll be nostalgic. After all, we’re getting back to the basics. Fun, good, clean fights [laughs].
A little squabble! Nice. And if there were maybe two other Housewives from back in the day out of Atlanta that you would love to come back with you, who would they be?
Obviously, we can never deny what Nene brought to the franchise. I mean, I love Nene. She’s obviously from my hometown. She forgot for a minute, but then she remembered. But I love Nene. She’s TV gold, Kim Zolciak is TV gold. I would definitely welcome either of them back because I just think they understand entertainment; they’re very entertaining, and they’re just great TV.
Yeah, for sure. As you said, you have many jobs, including going back on Real Housewives of Atlanta and doing Married to Medicine, The Traitors, and more. So, how do you make it all happen as a mother of two doing it solo?
It’s always about prioritizing, but outside of prioritizing, it’s about family. I have an incredible mother and incredible brothers who really step in, and they really help out because, I mean, people have moved away from the village, but without the village, I couldn’t do it. And I’ve got a great circle of friends and even colleagues that step in when I’m traveling, when I have to work late hours. But I try to really involve my children in my jobs. They come to the funeral home, they come to the law firm, obviously they’re on set. They came out to Dancing With the Stars quite a few times and absolutely loved it. So, not only am I teaching them to be young men, but I also want to teach them to be good stewards and young men who are entrepreneurs and learn how to be professional. And the only way you can learn those things is to be exposed to it. And so I show them with my work integrity. If you have to be there at nine, you get there at 8:45; you are the first to arrive and the last to leave. And that shows people your commitment not only to service but to the job at hand. And so I tell people, I know the assignment. If you give it to me, I’m going to give it 200%, and you’re going to get 100% results every time with me. I’m going to hit it out of the park.
Nice. You’re teaching them to do the same. I love that.
You got to. So, both of my boys have companies. My youngest son, you’ll see on Housewives, is somewhat of a seamstress. So he wanted some pants, and instead of having someone make them, I ordered him a sewing machine off Amazon, and I said, you’ll learn how to sew, and you’ll make your own pants. And so he learned to sew. So he’s going to debut his pants line on the show.
Oldest son, he’s into cryptocurrency. Being financially sound is very important to me. So he’s worked with my wealth managers, and he invests in Bitcoin and crypto. So, it has been a great ride. But he’s also into natural haircare. He wants to develop his own haircare line because honey, he can tell you everything about your coils and your 4Cs and 2As and all this stuff. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but he can pull your strand of hair out and tell you exactly what it’s lacking. So I said, if you are this passionate about curls, you should probably do a hair line.
I think that’s such a great idea. He has beautiful hair! Those curls have been popping since birth.
Thank you. We spend enough money on products. I said you need to develop your own so we can make some money instead of spending all this money.
And so, the Prince and Mr. President, as you used to call your sons on RHOA, are growing up so fast. What is it like to raise a teenager and a tween now?
The stages incorporate different personalities. I’ve got a high school freshman, so I’m not that important anymore. It’s all about the girls. It’s all about gaming. It’s all about how he’s going to present himself for these little Sadie Hawkins dances. And, of course, I’m not as cool, and I don’t know fashion. And he knows everything. My tween, he’s a sixth grader, so he’s still in the sweet stage, but now he’s obviously evolving into his own little self. And so mama’s not as cool anymore. But then I’ll mention some names of some very cool people like Latto. She has always loved my eldest son. She always sends him a video. So when I say, “I saw Latto and she sent you this video,” he’s shocked. But he’s had the opportunity to meet her a few times. And I hung out with Glorilla, and they said, “Oh, you are cool.” Let her cook! Just let her cook. Let mama cook. She cooking [laughs].
I love that. When you have downtime, how do you practice self-care with everything on your plate?
I’m very deep into meditation. I’m a reiki master as well, so I meditate a lot. And, of course, I am a good old Pentecostal honey, so I like to pray. But when I’m not doing that, I do Pilates. I usually do Pilates no less than five or six times per week.
I do one training with my Pilates professional, Ms. Tanya. And so I’m always stretching, trying to elongate these short, petite legs. I mean, it is a very good workout for people who have knee problems or hip issues. Honey, it’ll get you rolling around with no problems because it strengthens your core, but it also opens up your whole hip structure.
So that’s how you stay snatched.
Oh, honey, I’m telling you. My kids are like, “Mom, that’s not hard.” Now take it with me. And then they’re struggling. It’s very hard. I love yoga and Pilates; that’s my go-to.
Lastly, for people who are still out there saying, “I can’t give up milk. I need my dairy.” For those who are still on the fence, obviously, you know how to eat healthy, and you take care of yourself. You’re going to Pilates five and six days a week. Why would you say people should give Silk Almondmilk a chance?
Because like I said, it’s 50% more calcium, and as we age, we need to make sure that we are getting enough calcium because our bones will get brittle with age. From a caloric standpoint, it’s great for a diet because it’s less calories than your dairy alternative. And from a taste standpoint, seven out of 10 people prefer it over dairy, so that’s 70% of the people. It fuels you in the morning. If you want to just splash it in your smoothie, in your cereal, your coffee, you’re going to love it.
We all want to act like we are getting healthier. So this is a way to incorporate a plant-based product without feeling like you’re becoming a straight vegan or anything else. There’s no better time to try it if you haven’t. It’s the first month of the new year. You’re making all these resolutions; you know you ain’t going to keep ’em, honey. Definitely keep this because this is simple, honey. Instead of choosing dairy, choose Silk.
