Pinky Cole faces $1.3 million debt as she joins Real Housewives

Aisha "Pinky" Cole, the visionary behind the viral plant-based sensation Slutty Vegan, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The petition, lodged in Georgia on 2 March, reveals a total debt exceeding $1.3 million.

Court records indicate that the entrepreneur owes roughly $1.2 million to the U.S. Small Business Administration regarding a pandemic-era loan, alongside $192,000 in state taxes to the Georgia Department of Revenue.

This financial hurdle arrives as Cole joins the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. It follows a difficult year where she temporarily lost and then bought back her brand.

Reflecting on past struggles, Cole told PEOPLE, “I fought it for a long time, to be honest, and I didn’t want to do it.”

She admitted, “I didn’t want to face the public scrutiny. I didn’t want to face the opinions of others because I know I built something that’s so doted by so many people.”

Since its 2018 inception, Slutty Vegan grew from an Atlanta food truck into a national brand valued at $100 million.

However, high corporate overheads and recent store closures have left only six locations running. Despite the strain, Chapter 11 allows Cole to reorganise while keeping the doors open.

Choosing resilience over silence, she previously stated, “I could have easily gone to social media and did a rally cry for help, but I didn’t want to be a victim.”

Cole remains defiant about her future, insisting, “I built this brand with heart and hustle. And I’m not done yet.”