Why NeNe Leakes Claims She Was Completely Blacklisted By Bravo

Most fans know NeNe Leakes for appearing on the hit Bravo reality series "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." The gig earned her several other opportunities, including a recurring role on "Glee." According to IMDb, the reality star first appeared on "RHOA" during its freshman season in 2008. Leakes' time came to an end in 2020, ahead of the 13th season of the series. Following her departure from the series, she talked about her decision to leave the show on her YouTube Channel.

"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. There has been a lot of emotion flying on both sides," she told fans. The star added that she had come to the "difficult decision" to no longer be a part of the show that skyrocketed her to fame. Leakes also shared that she felt "so happy that I can say that I was a part of a genre that opened up doors for Black ensemble reality shows." Shortly after the news broke that Leakes would not return to the series, Bravo issued a statement to People. "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." 

While it seems on the surface that the reality personality and the network left off on a good note, it seems like that's far from the truth.

NeNe Leakes is not one to shy away from sharing her feelings when it comes to pretty much any topic, including her past TV work with Bravo. The former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star spoke with TMZ in early May, slamming her former employer. 'Yes, I've been blacklisted, when you haven't worked in three years when all of a sudden you're working and sought after, and suddenly you're not working, it's being blacklisted," she told the outlet. The reality star added that she didn't cause "any problems on any set, everybody I've ever worked with I had a good working relationship with, except for this group of people."

As fans know, things between Leakes and Bravo have been pretty rocky. According to Radar Online, Leakes filed a 74-page lawsuit against the network. The suit also named Bravolebrity Andy Cohen and the producers of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Leakes claims that Bravo's work culture was a hostile and racist environment. She accused them of "blackballing" her after she complained about Kim Zolciak-Biermann exhibiting a racist attitude toward her. Leakes says that she was "denied the right to do other work other than filming for 'RHOA' when other housewives (who had not spoken out against racially offensive treatment) were permitted the right to do other work." She also claimed that Cohen "interfered with, and sabotaged" a radio show that she had in the works for SiriusXM. 

That's a lot to unpack. Hopefully, Nene Leakes and the network can resolve things in a civil manner.