NeNe Leakes’ tense relationship with Bravo has hit another snag following the June 11 episode of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
“RHOA’s” most recent episode kicked off with a flashback to Season 4 of the hit TV show which debuted in 2012. The flashback clip showed the opening intro from that season, which featured Leakes, Cynthia Bailey, Kim Zolciak, Kandi Burruss, Shereé Whitfield, and Phaedra Parks as full-time housewives.
However to many “RHOA” fans’ surprise, Leakes was completely missing from the Season 4 opening intro clip.
Leakes’ absence from the clip led many to immediately conclude Leakes had been edited out of the intro. Many suggested her removal from the clip was likely the result of her ongoing issues with Bravo, NBC, and the Housewives franchise creator Andy Cohen.
Tumultuous Relationship
Leakes sued Bravo in 2022 for discrimination. In the suit, she named NBCUniversal, production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original, and Cohen as defendants. The suit came after her very messy exit from the show following Season 13.
“I have made the hard and very difficult decision to not be a part of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 13,” Leakes said in a video she posted to her YouTube account to confirm she was leaving the show. “It wasn’t an easy decision for me.”
As the drama between her and the network began to grow, Leakes continued to stress that she was not fired from RHOA.
“NBC, Bravo, and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not encouraged,” her suit claimed. However, the suit was dismissed by Leakes, with it appearing that the matter was settled out of court. There has never been any official word from Leakes or the network on the final outcome of the legal matter.
An Unwelcome Erasure
Leakes is a “RHOA” fan favorite and one of the most influential housewives out of all the shows in the Housewives franchise. So, it was no surprise “RHOA” fans sounded off on Leakes being erased from the throwback Season 4 intro.
Many took to Twitter to knock the decision to not include Leakes in the intro. NeNe eventually took to her own Twitter account to show love to everyone who came to her defense over the editing.
“Thank you tweetie pies for all of your DM’s and comments,” she tweeted, seemingly hinting at the throwback clip drama. “I see everything you are sending to me! It’s really just a shame people can do these things and get away [with] it. If only you really knew! If only you knew.”
There has been continued rumors regarding Leakes possible return to the show. But for now, the reality TV star and actress is certainly keeping busy, with her recently hosting the Dubai Comedy Festival in May. She has also been spotted partying at several events over the last few weeks.