Kelli Ferrell, a cast member on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, is facing serious allegations from her ex-husband, Chuvalo Mark Ferrell, who claims she misused business loan funds from their joint restaurant, Nana’s Chicken-N-Waffles, for personal spending, including on pricy beauty and spa treatments. What began as a financial dispute has since escalated into emergency court filings, allegations of conflicts, and Mark serving more than 40 days in jail.
Mark accused Kelli of business misconduct.
On Jan. 14, Mark Ferrell sat down for indepth interview with TSR Investigates to tell his side of the story, accusing Kelli of business misconduct. At the center of the dispute is Nana’s Chicken-N-Waffles, a restaurant venture the former couple reportedly launched together. According to Mark, the pair secured more than $700,000 in business loans with plans to expand their restaurant throughout the Atlanta area. He alleges that Kelli instead diverted a portion of those funds toward personal expenses, including hair and makeup.
“It was well over $30,000,” Mark alleged during a TSR Investigates interview with Justin Carter. “She was actually spending the money around her birthday — so, you know, just spending out of control.” He added, “5,000 here, 5,000 there.”
Expense reports shared during the interview reportedly showed charges for $150 spa sessions, a $21 nail appointment, and $5,000 transfers into Kelli’s personal checking accounts.
Concerned about spending, Mark Ferrell said his business manager, Latoya Francis-Williams, advised him to transfer the remaining funds from their joint business account into his personal account to protect the funds and curb further misuse. Soon after, a new operating agreement was drafted, prohibiting either party from borrowing money on behalf of the company or lending company funds.
According to Francis-Williams, Kelli initially agreed to the terms. The agreement established 50/50 ownership of Nana’s Chicken-N-Waffles and included strict financial controls stating that both parties “shall not…borrow money on behalf of the company, lend any company funds or other assets to any person, or change the nature or character of the business of the company without a unanimous vote.”
Francis-Williams told Carter during the TSR Investigates interview that one of the key restrictions required both their signatures for withdrawals.
“One of the major restrictions was that Kelli could not withdraw money without a second signature, which was Mr. Ferrell,” the business manager claimed. “We have the text messages where she acknowledges not only the terms, but being able to talk in robust conversations. But unbeknownst to Mr. Ferrell, Kelli had secretly hired an attorney to go to court.”
Francis-Williams further alleged that Kelli filed an emergency petition without Mark’s knowledge, misrepresenting her involvement in the business.
“She made representations that she had no idea what was going on with the business. That was a lie,” she said.
According to Francis-Williams, the court ruled within one day and granted a temporary injunction without Mark being notified or served.
Kelli Ferrell had this to say about the ongoing business battle after the TSR Investigates interview debuted.
Mark’s appearance didn’t sit well with Kelli. Shortly after the interview aired, the RHOA star appeared to respond on Instagram, posting a message directed at her ex-husband.
“My ex narcissist hating me is actually so VALID, because I can do all the things he couldn’t. Admit I like men, pay the bills, keep a job, tell the truth. Grow up and MOST important RAISE MY CHILDREN,” she wrote.
Kelli has also publicly disputed Mark’s version of events. During an appearance on TS Madison’s Outlaws podcast on Dec. 23, 2025, Kelli claimed that Mark wrongfully withdrew nearly $500,000 from their business account while she was on a trip to Mexico.
“We had to go to court and those were the turning points,” Kelli told TS Madison of what led to their divorce after 11 years of marriage. The couple finalized their divorce in 2025, according to Bravo.
She also alleged that after leaving the marriage with “nothing,” she slept on an air mattress at her townhouse for two months and received no financial help from Mark after moving out of their marital home.
“He didn’t help me financially. He wasn’t paying child support. He wasn’t helping.”
Mark maintains that although he moved the funds, he later returned them in portions and says the action was taken solely to prevent further misappropriation.
Mark was released from jail this month for unpaid child support, according to a report.
The legal and financial battle later spilled into family court. Mark was released from jail earlier this month after being incarcerated for unpaid child support, in late December, as previously reported. According to Us Weekly, he spent 17 nights behind bars before being released on Jan. 8 from the Rockdale County Jail in Georgia.
His representative told the outlet that Mark “officially satisfied his child support obligation in full” by paying $61,992 from “the proceeds of the sale of his former marital residence.”
“As a result, Mr. Ferrell’s child support balance is now zero, and he has been released from custody,” the rep said. “Mr. Ferrell and his legal team state that this matter could have been resolved far earlier had he been granted timely access to the escrowed home sale proceeds.”
The rep added, “For more than a year, Mr. Ferrell sought permission to use those funds to pay child support in full, believing that doing so was the most responsible and direct way to resolve the issue.”
According to his representative, Mark “maintains that his intent was never to avoid supporting his children, but rather to resolve the obligation completely and permanently once the funds were released.”
Mark also believes his child support payments should be modified to reflect his current income. His rep noted that Mark has previously been jailed twice over support issues and was forced to borrow money to secure his release.
“Despite these challenges, Mr. Ferrell has consistently supported his children in practical ways — providing for their needs through Amazon purchases, Apple Pay transfers, food delivery services, and other means, particularly during periods when formal child support payments were rejected.”
Kelli and Mark were married from 2011 to 2022 and share three children together: Chance, born in 2012, and twins Chasiti and Chelsi, born in 2015. Kelli is also the mother of a 17-year-old daughter, Chloe, from a previous relationship.
What do you think of this messy business drama between Chuvalo Mark Ferrell and Kelli Ferrell? Thoughts?
