NeNe Leakes was the face of the Real Housewives of Atlanta for 10 seasons, and she is still synonymous with being the OG of the Atlanta Housewives.
When NeNe left Bravo after Season 12 of RHOA, fans thought she did so on her own accord, and on good terms with the Bravo network, and her boss, Andy Cohen. She and Andy always seemed to have a great personal relationship, so Nene dropped a bomb with her latest allegations made in April with a lawsuit.
But we are now finding out that behind the scenes, NeNe said that Bravo fostered and tolerated a hostile and racist work environment. NeNe also claimed that she complained to executives about years of racist remarks from fellow housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann.
The lawsuit named the defendants as NBC Universal, Bravo, production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original, executives from the companies, and Andy Cohen, Housewives’ executive producer.
But in June, it appears that both parties were interested in settling NeNe’s issue out of court, in order to avoid going to trial. But before that happens and NeNe is possibly silenced legally, she is planning on releasing a book to reveal all of the sordid details.
NeNe has been leaking little snippets of what she plans to expose about Bravo, Andy, and her former bestie, Kim Zolciak-Biermann.
RHOA: NeNe Leakes is looking for help with her book from Kathy Griffin
NeNe recently revealed she had been working on an expose book for a year, and plans to disclose the alleged treatment she received while she was a Housewife and even after.
But Kathy Griffin is notably the first reality star who was purportedly burned by the Bravo machine, with her show, My Life on the D-List, which aired in the early days of the network, and really helped launch them into what they are now.
Kathy and Bravo won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program, and Bravo became a top network with her help. But after her show was canceled, Kathy started revealing what working for Andy Cohen was really like.
Her experiences echo NeNe’s in many ways, and Kathy claims Andy was “one of the worst bosses I ever had,” and said he “treated me like a dog.” In NeNe’s eyes, this makes her a necessary ally for her book, and also her lawsuit.
Why did NeNe Leakes leave Real Housewives of Atlanta?
NeNe announced in 2020 that she would not be returning for Season 13 of the show, and fans were definitely shocked. She made it clear at the time that she was not fired by the network, and that it was her decision to leave.
At the time, NeNe said, “It has been hard, and I have made the very hard and difficult decision to not be a part of Real Housewives of Atlanta season 13.”
She also added, “It was hard. I started on The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2008. We took off like a rocket. I mean, we took off. You could have never told me that I would start on this little show and it still be going strong 13, 14 years later. And it is. I’m just so happy that I can say that I was a part of a genre that opened up doors for Black ensemble reality shows to step up and be a part of what we all now love so much, reality TV.”
NeNe promised fans that they would see her again, and her crusade against Bravo proves that right.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo.