Key Takeaways
- CT Tamburello celebrated girlfriend Phaedra Parks’ birthday with an Instagram Reel and a nod to 50 Cent’s “Best Friend,” writing, “Happy Birthday, Dollface.”
- The Traitors Season 2 castmates sparked romance rumors through flirty social posts before Parks confirmed in September that their relationship had moved beyond friendship.
- The couple later attended the Creative Arts Emmys together as Parks returned full-time to The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
CT Tamburello is showing Phaedra Parks some birthday love, and he's borrowing a little inspiration from 50 Cent to get his message across.
The Challenge veteran celebrated his girlfriend's birthday with an Instagram Reel featuring the Real Housewives of Atlanta star making a playful duckface for the camera. Instead of writing a lengthy tribute, Tamburello kept it short, referencing 50 Cent's 2005 hit "Best Friend" in the caption.
“🎼If I was your best friend…🎶” he wrote, before adding, “Happy Birthday, Dollface. 🎂”
The post also came with an extensive guest list of tagged accounts. Tamburello tagged 19 people and organizations, including Parks, Andy Cohen, Bravo, MTV, The Challenge, The Traitors host Alan Cumming, and Real World: New Orleans alum Julie Pizzi.
The tags also included Paramount+, Nicole Platt-Rien, Bunim/Murray Productions, and several others connected to the reality television industry.
The birthday tribute comes nearly two months after Phaedra Parks confirmed that her relationship with Tamburello had moved beyond friendship. During a September appearance on SiriusXM's Jeff Lewis Live, Parks addressed rumors about their romance after Lewis asked whether Tamburello would accompany her to the Creative Arts Emmys as a platonic date.
“It's not,” Parks replied, confirming they were romantically involved.
Their relationship began on Peacock's The Traitors, where Parks and Tamburello competed together during Season 2 in 2024. Their interactions attracted attention from viewers, although Tamburello initially maintained that their connection hadn't become romantic.
“Nothing real happened,” he said. “It was fun. I loved her because she's a cornball. She was great.”
By August 2026, however, their social media exchanges suggested something had changed. Tamburello publicly searched for an Emmys date, asking followers to put in “a good word” with Parks.
Her response left little room for interpretation: “Baby I'm already yours.”
Tamburello subsequently shared a video announcing, “She said yes,” before the couple confirmed their relationship the following month. They attended the Creative Arts Emmys together, with Parks also revealing plans to accompany Tamburello to New York for a work commitment.
The romance follows Parks' return to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, where she resumed her role as a full-time cast member after several years away. During the Season 17 reunion, Andy Cohen defended Parks amid a dispute with Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole over allegations that Parks made behind-the-scenes complaints to Bravo executives.
“I've known this woman for many years,” Cohen said during the exchange, explaining that Parks would have contacted him directly if she wanted to escalate the situation.
Outside RHOA, Parks has continued making appearances across reality television, including her stint on The Traitors, which introduced her to Tamburello.
