MadameNoire
Since Porsha Williams set the internet ablaze Sunday night after announcing her engagement to Simon Guobadia, a question on the minds of many has been, “Who is Simon Guobadia, anyway?” While the 56-year-old entrepreneur didn’t play a big role in season thirteen of “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” we imagine that he’s going to be a major part of the storyline for season fourteen. But in the meantime, here is everything we currently know about Simon.
1. He has five children
Simon is the father of five children. His fifth child is just 8 years old. While one can never truly know what someone’s life is actually like based solely on their social media accounts, Simon appears to be a devoted father though he admits that he regrets not being as present as he’d like to be for their daily lives. It appears that some of his children live in different states. “At this moment, I am overwhelmed at the fact that I have missed much in their daily growth,” Simon wrote in an Instagram post on March 26. “I hope I can continue to get closer to them and travel more with them.”
2. He’s a petroleum tycoon
Simon is the CEO of Simcol Petroleum, LLC. As his LinkedIn page explains, Simcol Petroleum is a holding company for several other businesses such as a petroleum supplier company, a petroleum transport company, a multimedia company, a hospitality company, and an investment firm. Simon also owns multiple restaurants, including Simon’s, Das BBQ, Time, Buckhead, and Bottle Bar. Sadly, Simon’s was forced to close its doors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was not enough to sustain a business model like what we initially started to do,” he told CNN last February of his attempts to offer takeout meals during the height of the pandemic. “And we were going to suffer in the long run.”
3. He grew up in Nigeria
While not much information is available about his upbringing, we do know that he attended boarding school in Nigeria from ages 11 to 16.
4. He’s dabbled in film producing
Simon has executive produced at least two films — Jail Dogs and Son of the South. Jail Dogs is a documentary about rescue dogs who are a part of the Operation Second Chance Jail Dog Program at the Gwinett County Jail. Son of the South is about the grandson of a klansman who joins the Civil Rights Movement.
5. He is still technically married to Porsha’s co-star
The elephant in the room is that we were all introduced to Simon as Falynn Guobadia‘s husband and as far as we all knew, Porsha and Falynn were friends. Though the former couple announced their divorce last month, they are still technically married. According to People, the divorce was settled back in April but has yet to be finalized.
