Who Is Peter Thomas? New Details About 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta' Star Cynthia Bailey's Ex
RHOA's Peter Thomas was arrested Friday for allegedly writing counterfeit checks.
Instagram Peter Thomas of The Real Housewives of Atlanta fame, was arrested Friday at Miami International Airport on a fugitive warrant. The ex-husband of supermodel and Real Housewives Of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey was taken into custody on March 1 after arriving at the airport. According to WPLG Local 10, Miami-Dade police told news outlets that the 58-year-old was arrested on a warrant from Louisiana for allegedly writing counterfeit checks.
As of March 2, Thomas is being held without bond in Miami-Dade County pending his extradition to Louisiana, PEOPLE confirmed. Local 10 also reported that the restauranteur was flying into Miami for the opening of his nightclub in Miami Beach. Thomas is also the owner of a sports bar and a club in Charlotte, North Carolina. In an official statement, Thomas said the allegations were false. He said he will be "acquitted from any wrongdoing."
A source close to Thomas’ ex, Bailey, told HollywoodLife that Bailey is not shocked about his arrest. Her daughter Noelle remains close to Thomas. The source said Bailey will try to be there for Thomas for the sake of her daughter.
"Cynthia will absolutely try to get a hold of Peter when she can. She’s not really surprised this is happening just because he was never straight with her when it came to business, but for her daughter Noelle’s sake, will be there for him. She knows Peter at the core is a good man."
While Bailey, 52, has moved on from Thomas, she is still concerned about Thomas’ situation.
"Cynthia feels sad for Peter over his recent arrest, mainly because he is still in her daughter Noelle’s life so much,” the source said. “Cynthia has really encouraged Peter to keep a relationship with her daughter Noelle for both their sakes. Peter was really a father figure to Noelle, so of course, she doesn’t want to see bad things happen. However, Cynthia has always questioned Peter and his businesses, which was a huge tipping point in their relationship constantly."
Who is Peter Thomas? What more do we know about him?
1. He and Bailey were married for 7 years.
Thomas was married to model Cynthia Bailey from 2010 to 2017. The couple tied the knot on an episode of the popular Bravo series back in 2011. During the show, problems in their relationship began to appear including cheating allegations on his part. Thomas and Bailey separated in 2016 and their divorce was finalized in 2017.
"I couldn’t give up Cynthia Bailey to be Cynthia Bailey Thomas,” she exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “I was in love with Peter, but I’m just not wife material. I will never be in a relationship again where it will take a lawyer for me to walk away. I will never marry again.”
In June 2015, a video surfaced of Thomas kissing and touching a female clubgoer at his Charlotte business, Bar One.
“He was just being social,” explained Bailey. But it wasn’t the first time infidelity rumors swirled.
“I believe with every ounce of oxygen and bone in my body that Peter never had sex with another woman.”
2. Being on reality TV put a strain on their marriage.
Bailey told The Daily Dish in 2016 that “relationships are complex. Marriages are not easy. There’s always ups and downs.”
“Peter and I are the only couple that was actually married on this show, so I just always feel like so much pressure in terms of our relationship. It’s always under such scrutiny. We’re strong people, but sometimes it’s just exhausting."
"And then when you have a videotape, which is not like a sex tape by any means. I mean, it was far from a scandal, in my opinion. I thought it was definitely inappropriate and embarrassing, but not, in my opinion, grounds for divorce. It was a big deal. It was a big deal. You know, it was tough getting through that and having to deal with it in real life and then having to deal with it on social media and just in public.”
3. He a night-club owner.
He’s the owner of the Bar One/ Sport One brand of clubs/restaurants. He began filming a reality series spin-off of RHOA on his own but centered on managing his Charlotte, North Carolina, hot spot, Club One. He’s also the VP Entertainment for UPTOWN Magazine, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The day before his arrest, Thomas shared an Instagram photo of himself in Jamaica, writing, "Making deal with my people, BIG THINGS COMING."
4. Thomas is still close to his ex Bailey.
Bailey has always been open about how she remains close to her ex-husband.
“I still kinda depend on him,” she told ET late last year about her relationship with Thomas. “We were friends before we were boyfriend and girlfriend, friends before we were husband and wife... He's someone that has always had my back and someone I still trust very much."
Bailey and Thomas had an amicable split and they have remained close friends. He also still appears on the popular Bravo program.
5. Peter is still close with Bailey’s daughter.
There's no love lost when it comes to the children. Peter is still a part of Noelle Robinson's life too, as the RHOA pal is with his children and grandchildren.
"He has a great relationship with Noelle; he's still very much in her life. They have their own relationship," Cynthia shared. "I'm still very close to his kids. You know, new grandbabies, who — technically — they're still my grandbabies. We were still together when they were born … just because we're not together any longer doesn't mean there isn't still love there.”
6. Peter loves his kids.
Peter shared his feelings about fathered back in 2016.
"I got five kids: two daughters and three sons. I say it all the time, I got two beautiful daughters and three beautiful sons," he said, sharing they are from three different prior relationships. "But, it wasn't at the same time. One thing ends and then another begins."
He wrote in an Instagram post: "These are all my beautiful kids, age 30, 27, 19, 15, and 10, and I LOVE them all so much, also Noelle who's with her dad today, having kids is a gift from God."
7. He's been accused of bank fraud before.
Back in 2014, Real Housewives of Atlanta Phaedra Parks' husband Apollo Nida was arrested for multiple counts of fraud and identity theft. Cynthia Bailey spoke out to deny new reports that her husband, Nida’s BFF Peter Thomas, was involved in the alleged scam.
"I can’t speak on Apollo, but I can say that Peter Thomas doesn’t have anything to do with a bank fraud scandal to my knowledge,” Bailey told Jet magazine in 2014. “The feds are not sitting outside of our house. That is just not accurate information …”
Thomas himself claimed to be blindsided when news of Nida’s arrest hit the web.
“I don’t know nothing about it,” he said at the time. “I have absolutely no comment on his arrest.”
“I just have to wait, like everyone else, to see how it plays out,” he continued. “I hope that everything will play out in the best form.”
Maria Lianos-Carbone is author of "Oh Baby! A Mom's Self-Care Survival Guide for the First Year" and publisher of amotherworld.com.
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