Nene Leakes is claiming that she was “forced” out of The Real Housewives of Atlanta after nearly a week after she announced that she was leaving the show after months of ‘exhausting’ and ‘emotional’ contract negotiations.
In a Twitter exchange, a fan asked Leakes if she would be getting her own spinoff show from Bravo. To NeNe replied, “They don’t think I deserve to work at all in any [capacity].”
“It sound[s] like they forced you out!” another fan said, to which Leakes responded: “They definitely did.”
Earlier this month, Leakes announced via her YouTube channel that she would not be returning to RHOA for its upcoming 13th season.
“Thank you to all of you guys that have been showing me a lot of love and support as of late. I feel you, I hear you. I have been on an extremely, extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation,” Leakes revealed on Thursday, September 17, according to PEOPLE. “There’s been a lot of emotion flying from both sides. It has been hard, and I have made the very hard and very difficult decision to not be a part of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ Season 13. It wasn’t an easy decision for me. It was hard.”
“It wasn't an easy decision for me,” she continued. “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,” Leakes said.
She went on to thank anyone who has ever “looked up” to her, her production company, and Bravo for “all the memories, the laughs, the tears.”
She also addressed a false report of someone on her team releasing a statement on her behalf last week. “I have no knowledge of it, I didn’t approve it.”
“When something is this important and this near and dear to my heart, I always want to be the person to address you.”
She ended her message by saying, “I will see you again real soon,” possibly teasing her return to the small screen.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a Bravo rep said, “We wish Nene all the best in her future endeavors and thank her for sharing her journey for over a decade with the fans of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. She's been instrumental since the start and will truly be missed, and maybe one day she'll hold the peach again.”
NeNe, who is one of the original five cast members, joined the show when she series made its debut in 2008. She appeared on the show seven seasons. In season 8 she left but made several appearances in the second half of the season including the reunion. She took a break during season 9, only to return for season 10-12.
Cynthia Bailey, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, and Porsha Williams are set to return for season 13 along with rumored new cast members Drew Sidora and LaToya Ali. Marlo Hampton and Tanya Sam are also set to return as a “friend” of the series.
Will you miss NeNe on RHOA? Sound off in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: Bravo/NBCUniversal
