Sadly NeNe Leakes Will NEVER Return to ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
Sadly NeNe Leakes Will NEVER Return to ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
NeNe Leakes will not returning to the Real Housewives of Atlanta for Season 16, much to the disappointment of her loyal fans. Rumors swirling about her potential comeback heated up after news broke that NeNe’s former co-star, Porsha Williams, had inked a deal that included a RHOA return.
Sources close to production confirmed that NeNe Leakes had not been in talks to potentially sign on for Season 16, per TMZ. Insiders dished that producers had not even initiated a discussion with NeNe regarding the upcoming season, seemingly shutting down a flood of online rumors.
Fans have been campaigning for NeNe Leakes’ return on social media in the months since reports alleged that producers wanted to shake up the RHOA cast amid a ratings slump.
Viewers will see the return of Porsha, who left the show in 2021, after nine seasons. NeNe appeared on RHOA Seasons 1-7 and 10-12, before making her exit in 2020.
In November 2023, observant fans noticed that NeNe had followed Bravo on Instagram, which led to speculation that she had mended fences with the network.
NeNe’s relationship with Bravo has been rocky since April 2022, the month she filed a lawsuit, accusing the network and Bravo executive, Andy Cohen, of racial discrimination. She claimed that Bravo, NBC Universal, Cohen and production companies, True Entertainment and Truly Original, had violated federal employment and anti-discrimination laws. She also alleged that producers covered up several incidents involving former cast mate, Kim Zolciak. The lawsuit claimed that Kim used racial stereotypes and slurs toward her black co-stars for years. NeNe eventually dismissed her suit due to contractual agreements, which required the stars and the network to hash out litigation in arbitration.
In May 2022, NeNe accused the network of blacklisting her for airing out her grievances.
In August 2022, NeNe appeared to take aim at Cohen on Twitter.
“I am happy I was able to help all the other black women get job opportunities that are working for them,” she wrote, alleging that Cohen had shut down opportunities “because I was a threat to his career.”
NeNe dropped her discrimination lawsuit that same month, but maintained the right to reopen it at a later date.
In November, Cohen declined to squash speculation about NeNe’s potential return, after a fan asked the “Watch What Happens Live” host if the OG could ever win back her peach, at BravoCon 2023.
He replied — “Who knows? I mean, she asked me a few years ago to keep her name out of my mouth, so I try to respect that.”
Cohen told a fan in a video posted online—“I’m a nostalgic guy. She and I came up together and there’s always room in my heart for, you know, everybody.”
In January, NeNe pushed the network to shake up the RHOA formula to revive the crashed ratings.
“Keep the fans in mind while making the show,” she told TMZ. ”The biggest priority should be to please the audience.”
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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.