Here's what Andy Cohen had to say about Kandi Burruss leaving RHOA

Following the announcement that Kandi Burruss won't be returning for season 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Andy Cohen reacted on his radio show.

Kandi Burruss was on 14 seasons of the reality show, making her the longest-running cast member on the series. The news that she's leaving the show came just after Kenya Moore announced that there was no way that NeNe Leakes is coming back, so the news that Bravo is shaking up the cast for season 16 without fully rebooting the entire show has fans wondering who might be returning to the show.

Although Andy Cohen didn't make any big reveals about who might be returning for season 16 or what new faces might be joining the cast, he had a lot to say about Kandi Burruss' decision to exit ahead of season 16.

Andy Cohen Kandi Burruss had an "unbelievable run" on RHOA

"Kandi announced last night on the Grammy red carpet that she's not gonna be returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta after an unbelievable run," Andy Cohen said on the February 5 episode of his SiriusXM radio show. "Incredible run. And you think about how much she not only went through on the show, but brought to the show."

It's not just about what she brings to the show, either. Cohen remarks that Kandi, who started her career as a member of the R&B group Xscape and has gone on to have a long-running career as a singer and a songwriter, "wanted to be the best" and says that she's just as great off-screen as she is on it.

"She has been one of my favorite people to work with in my whole time. First, as an exec at Bravo, and then as an E.P. ofThe Housewivesand hostingWatch What Happens Live. I love how competitive she is. I love how thoughtful and smart she is. She is so strategic," Cohen continued.

According to Andy Cohen, Kandi Burruss' eye for strategy goes well beyond how she presented herself on RHOA.

"She would call me anytime she had a thought about either the way the show was being marketed or not marketed or about the way that it was being scheduled or she had a lot of really smart opinions and thoughts and she always wanted to know more. "

Even though RHOA viewers found out that Kandi Burruss was done with her run on the show from a red carpet interview at the Grammys, Andy Cohen says that Kandi Burruss had told him directly that she felt like her time on the show had run its course.

Andy Cohen commented on Kandi Burruss' future on Bravo

"We had a long talk the other day, she and I and Todd on the phone. I appreciate her saying, 'You know what? I think this is just time.' She knows the show is at a crossroads right now and I don't even want to talk about where we're going with it," he revealed on his radio show on February 5.

Could Kandi Burruss come back to RHOA if she decides she misses being on reality TV? According to Andy Cohen, it's a possibility.

"She is one of the greats. So, thank you Kandi for your service. I did tell her, I was like, 'You know, Kandi, you could drop back in in a year or two,'" he said, giving Kandi's fans hopes that maybe, she'll find her way back to a future season of RHOA.