NeNe Leakes is an American fashion designer, author, television personality, presenter, actress, and businesswoman. She is a reputed person in pop culture and reality television. She came into the limelight after joining The Real Housewives of Atlanta and became a notable person in the show.
Leakes is the original cast member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA), who joined the show in 2008. She appeared as the main cast member for the seven seasons and announced that she would not return in the eighth season in June 2015. However, she got her full salary for her seven seasons.
Leakes’ career in RHOA was like a roller coaster. She again appeared in the eighth season in a supporting role and appeared as a full-time housewife for the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth seasons (2017 to 2020). In September 2020, she announced that she would not return for the further seasons.
Why Did NeNe Leakes Leave RHOA
The RHOA team could not decide whether to bring Leakes back in the thirteenth season. So, she left the franchise with a heavy heart. She later sued the executive producer Andy Cohen and the network for ‘unfair treatment,’ which she dropped in 2022.
Leakes appeared on Reality with the King, hosted by Carlos King, where she opened up about her departure from RHOA. The executives offered her a part-time role after the twelfth season, and they asked her to appear only in six episodes in the thirteenth.
There were between twenty-four and twenty-seven episodes from the ninth to twelfth season, and only twenty-one in the thirteenth due to her departure. She was shocked to learn that the executives took her for granted and thought she would be happy with only six episodes.
Leakes thinks she deserves more than just six episodes. Not knowing the reason for cutting her role shorter, she felt discriminated against. She did not know what she was targeted for because she did not go against the stream. According to her, she did what other RHOA cast members had already done.
For instance, Andy Cohen lost his temper with Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga in a Season 13 reunion exchange. In return, Teresa pushed him. Still, she was one of the controversial RHOA members who continued in the show.
Leakes informed her fans how she continued to respect the team after her departure. She supported and had positive talks with Cohen on social media. Citing these things, she said she had no complaints about Cohen.
After NeNe Leakes’ Departure From RHOA
Leakes tweeted that the producers forced her to leave the show, and her fans asked her to create her spin-off, which she declined. Meanwhile, Bravo informed Variety that they would miss her and hope to see her again in the show. Cohen stated that he missed the ‘icon of the genre’ on his Instagram Account.
Leakes explained how open she had been about communicating the issues with the RHOA team. She always wanted to meet them, figure out the issues, and bring solutions, though her attitude did not reciprocate. She agreed to return to RHOA only for her fans and a hefty amount.
Later, Leakes stated that she would never return to RHOA even if she had an attractive offer because she already had a chance to return to the thirteenth season with only six episodes. She would have taken that offer if she wanted to go back.
Leakes wants to mend her relationships with the RHOA team, except for a few members. Kandi Burruss entered RHOA in the second season. She informed Entertainment Tonight that the women in the show were not responsible for Leakes’ departure.
Kandi revealed a unique reason for Leakes’ departure. According to her, Leakes departed because Yovanna had already posted on her return to the show, and she wanted to avoid meeting Yovanna.
Leakes is a reputed television personality, and RHOA was not her sole source of income and stardom. Besides RHOA, she appeared in Entertainment Tonight, The Celebrity Apprentice 4, The Game, Miss USA, The Millionaire Matchmaker, Lip Sync Battle, First Wives Club, and Celebrity Ghost Stories.
NeNe Leakes launched a television production company, NeNe Leakes Entertainment, and a clothing line, NeNe Leakes Collection, in 2014. She went on a one-woman comedy tour in 2016, and her boutiques operate from Maryland to Miami Beach. She opened a lounge in Georgia in 2021.
