Mia Thornton’s Recent Breakup May Have Secured Her Another Season on ‘RHOP’

Mia Thornton could be accused of being a lot of things, but boring isn’t one of them. The former exotic dancer has earned a reputation for twisting the truth on The Real Housewives of Potomac, being outspoken and downright outrageous with her perspective on life. Her recent shenanigans on the reality series with estranged husband Gordon Thornton and her much more age-appropriate lover, Inc aka Incognito, have her co-stars reeling from the sheer unapologetic toxicity of it all. Things became a bit muddled, but after Gordon’s financial pipeline was cut off, Mia’s loyalty to her marriage dissolved right along with his money. Instead of putting herself back on the dating market, Mia ran back to her high school lover, Inc, a radio personality in her hometown of Columbus, GA.

Inc received Mia with open arms and the two began an aggressive social media campaign of PDA hinting at tying the knot as soon as her divorce was finalized from Gordon. While flaunting a new relationship while still legally married may seem scandalous in real life, for reality stars, it’s common ground, but Mia shocked even her reality peers with the news she released next. Not only was Inc a lover from her past, but she was with him when she met Gordon years ago as a patron while she worked in a club. Her relationship timeline with Gordon and Inc overlapped in several instances, including the paternity of her son. Inc alleged Mia’s son could be his and requested a DNA test, inciting Gordon’s anger. But the reconcilation didn’t last long, and their recent breakup has solified Mia for at least one other season.

Mia’s Lover Inc Didn’t Score Favorably With the RHOP Cast Or Fans

Surprisingly, Mia went along with Inc’s allegations and informed the Potomac ladies on the show that Inc had a right to request a paternity test in relation to her son. The drama between the three continued playing out on the show, getting more bizarre with each episode. Mia flaunted the relationship with Inc in Gordon’s face but insisted he remain an active participant in the children’s daily lives. During one episode, Mia shared that Inc folded Gordon’s clothes and the two men were learning to get along. The strange nature of the relationship between Mia, Gordon and Inc was fodder for scandalous discussion among the RHOP cast and with fans of the show.

Mia enjoyed the attention she received from the unconventional relationship with her estranged husband and new boyfriend. While the women on the show believed the relationship was toxic, Mia insisted her lifestyle was in the best interest of her children. On episode 13, “Rumble in the Jungle,” Mia tearfully revealed that Gordon took the children to Martha’s Vineyard, unbeknownst to her, while she and the ladies traveled to Panama. At Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby’s suggestion that she leave the trip to tend to her children, Mia dried her tears and assured the group that she knew the children were safe. Adding insult to injury, she called Inc and assured him she was coming to see him in Atlanta as soon as she returned from Panama. While the ladies were shocked by Mia’s disregard for her children, she dismissed their concern and stood by her decision. Even more shocking than Mia’s crocodile tears was her social media announcement on New Year’s Day that she was reuniting with estranged husband Gordon, and her relationship with Inc was over.

Mia Has Tried to Make Gordon the Villain to Avoid Accountability

The past three months have been a roller coaster for Mia, as she has defended her alternative lifestyle repeatedly to her cast mates and fans alike. She and Inc visited Carlos King’s popular Reality with the King podcast and attempted to garner support for their relationship. Carlos acknowledged Mia’s story line was often peppered with untruths, causing her to nickname her “Mia-Be-Lying.”

True to form, Mia laughed the criticism off and insisted her relationship with Inc was an authentic love. Carlos kept poking at the relationship with Gordon, but Mia refused to crack under pressure. Much like her conversations with the ladies of Potomac, she insisted Gordon’s mental health challenges presented additional challenges in the marriage. Mia painted Gordon as being an erratic manic depressant that she bravely took care of throughout their marriage. Inc supported Mia’s story and revealed that Gordon pursued Mia while they were dating as a young couple. He pledged his undying love for Mia and her children and agreed to do everything in his power to make the transition manageable for Gordon.

After driving this narrative for over a year, Mia’s social media announcement on New Year’s Day that she and Gordon were reconciling presented a total 180-degree change. Going back to Gordon could solidify her position on RHOP because it allows her to remain in the role of wife working on rebuilding her marriage. Mia’s fling with Inc didn’t resonate with her co-stars or the Potomac fans in any capacity. Attempting to force her new romance on the fans of RHOP backfired mainly because her accusations against Gordon weren’t believable. After Gordon’s family removed the couple from leadership and financial gain in the family business, Mia boldly attempted to undermine Gordon’s character in order to gain sympathy in the divorce proceedings.

She claimed Gordon’s erectile dysfunction diagnosis prohibited them from being intimate and his mental illness became an overwhelming burden for her in the marriage. Her claims against Gordon fell mostly on deaf ears because of their huge age gap from the beginning of the relationship. Mia has acknowledged marrying Gordon for his financial provisions, which makes it hard for fans to empathize with her. Most rational women would assume that marrying a man almost 30 years their senior would eventually involve limitations in the bedroom. It’s also difficult to feel sympathy for Mia when she acknowledges being in love with another man during the marriage. If Gordon showed signs of depression before, watching Mia flaunt her new lover in his face exacerbated the problem exponentially. Over the last twelve months, Mia has been able to assess the direction of the fans’ loyalty and no doubt switched up to ensure her future on the show.

‘The Real Housewives’ Franchise Is Built On Older Wealthy Husbands and Hot Young Wives

The Real Housewives franchise was built on wealthy women with access to the finer things in life because of their ability to secure a rich husband. Very seldom has the fan base supported a wife leaving her marriage for a hot young lover without the ability to provide financially. The stereotype of the “desperate housewife” bored in her ornate castle, longing to satisfy her lustful desires with a young muscled pool boy or handy maintenance man is an underlying trope for the franchise. Even Mia’s co-star Karen Huger has been accused of clandestine rendezvous with a younger man under her much older husband’s nose during her marriage. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne unapologetically flaunted her wealthy, much-older husband in the face of RHOBH fans, along with her cast mate Yolanda Hadid, who was married to multimillionaire David Foster.

The Real Housewives franchise thrives on young beautiful women with older wealthy men by any means necessary. Most of these relationships last until the older man decides he wants a younger trophy wife on his arm, much like Kelsey Grammar’s decision to leave his ex-wife Camille Grammar for Leigh-Anne Csuhany and David Foster left Yolanda for singer/songwriter Kathryn McFee. Very seldom does the wife successfully leave for a younger man who lacks substance and sophistication, the way Mia attempted with radio personality Inc. Leaving her frivolous affair behind and returning to her husband was the decision that resonated most effectively with fans of the show and secured her slot on the series. Starring on RHOP gives Mia a national platform that allows her access to fame and fortune that she wouldn’t have access to if she was fired from the show. Mia has been accused of lying, gaslighting and cheating, but she’s never been accused of being a fool. With that understanding, it’s no surprise to see her decide to return to the source of her bread and butter even if it is much older and suffers from ED and mental health issues.

The Real Housewives of Potomac airs every Sunday on Bravo and can be streamed on Peacock.

Stream on Peacock