Key Takeaways
- Phaedra Parks confirmed she is dating Chris “CT” Tamburello, telling Jeff Lewis their upcoming Creative Arts Emmys date is “not” platonic.
- The reality stars first connected on Season 2 of The Traitors and recently fueled romance rumors through flirty Instagram posts, including Parks telling Tamburello, “Baby I’m already yours.”
- Parks said the relationship began during her most recent Los Angeles visit, and the pair plan to travel to New York together after the Emmys for a work commitment on Fire Island.
Phaedra Parks has officially confirmed that her relationship with The Challenge veteran Chris “CT” Tamburello is more than friendly.
The RHOA star revealed the news during a September 4 appearance on Jeff Lewis Live, where host Jeff Lewis asked directly whether her upcoming Emmys date with Tamburello was platonic. Per People, Parks kept the answer short: “It’s not.” She then confirmed the two will attend the Creative Arts Emmys together on September 5, where Tamburello is scheduled to present.
The confirmation comes after weeks of very public flirting between the two reality TV veterans. Last month, Tamburello joked on Instagram that he was still looking for an Emmys plus-one and asked whether anyone could put in “a good word” for him with Parks.
She responded, “Baby I’m already yours.”
Days later, he posted another video declaring, “She said yes,” alongside footage of Parks.
That back-and-forth wasn’t entirely new territory. Parks and Tamburello first got close while competing on Season 2 of Peacock’s The Traitors, which aired in 2024. Their chemistry became a storyline with viewers, though Tamburello dismissed romance rumors at the time.
“Nothing real happened,” he said at the time. “It was fun. I loved her because she’s a cornball. She was great.”
He added that there was “a sense of sincerity,” but noted that they were also competing on a reality game show.
Two years later, the dynamic has changed.
Parks told Lewis that she and Tamburello had already gone out together before confirming their Emmy plans. Asked when things shifted, she said the relationship began the “last time” she was in Los Angeles.
After the awards, the two are also expected to travel together to New York for a work commitment on Fire Island. Around the time Parks was speaking with Lewis, Tamburello posted that he was about to “pick up bae,” then shared clips of Parks from the SiriusXM studio and later from a ride with him.
The relationship marks a new chapter for Parks, who was previously married to Apollo Nida. The former couple married in 2009, share sons Ayden and Dylan, and finalized their divorce in 2017. Parks later dated radio personality Tone Kapone and Medina Islam.
Tamburello has also had two marriages. His most recent wife, Catalina White, filed for divorce in January 2026, a little more than a year after their October 2024 wedding. He was previously married to Lilianet “Lili” Solares, with whom he has a son, Christopher “C.J.” Tamburello Solares.
For Parks, the relationship comes during another high-profile RHOA run. She returned to The Real Housewives of Atlanta after years away and recently found herself at the center of the Season 17 reunion, where Andy Cohen publicly defended her during a heated exchange with Pinky Cole.
