NeNe Leakes, the iconic original star of Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA), has long been known for her bold and unapologetic presence on the show. Back in season 2, she famously declared, “I don’t keep up with the Joneses, I am the Joneses.” Now, five years after her last appearance on the series, it seems that line might be due for an upgrade—something more like, “I’m not a friend of the Housewives, I am the Housewives.”
Fans have been eagerly hoping for NeNe’s return to the Bravo reality juggernaut, and while she’s expressed some openness to coming back, she’s decidedly hesitant about doing so in the “friend of the cast” role that many former stars have taken on. Speaking on the Humble Brag podcast with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Crystal Kung Minkoff and her RHOA alum Cynthia Bailey, Leakes shared her honest thoughts.
“I’m not mad at the ‘friend’ role. I just think, answering your question, if I were to ever step back on that platform and would I be a friend, I really feel like, I don’t know that I would be a friend,” she said, clearly unsure if that status fits her legacy.
Pressed by Cynthia Bailey, who currently appears as a “friend” on season 16, NeNe admitted she’d have to consider it seriously. “I like the ‘friend’ role, I like the capacity, I don’t have a problem with it at all. I just would think, NeNe, season 1, the first Housewife, and I’m a friend? I don’t know.”
Indeed, NeNe’s place in RHOA history is cemented. She was part of the original group that launched the series in 2008 alongside Kim Zolciak, Sherée Whitfield, Lisa Wu, and DeShawn Snow. This was Bravo’s first show with a majority Black cast and the third installment of the Real Housewives franchise, which has since grown into a sprawling cultural phenomenon, spawning international spin-offs, fan conventions, and even a podcast industry all its own.
NeNe quickly became the breakout star and the heart of RHOA, anchoring the series through eight seasons. Even in her eighth season, she appeared as a “guest,” highlighting the complex relationship she has had with the show over the years. Beyond reality TV, she branched out into scripted roles on shows like Glee and The New Normal, as well as stage productions such as Chicago.
Her most recent stint on RHOA spanned three seasons from 2017 to 2020. But in September 2020, after what she described as “an extremely, extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation,” NeNe announced she had made the difficult decision “to not be a part of Real Housewives of Atlanta season 13.”
Since then, the drama hasn’t stopped. NeNe’s relationship with Bravo and executive Andy Cohen has been publicly strained. After her exit, she accused Cohen of racism and called him a “master manipulator” who, she claimed, had been “using me for ratings like they have always done.” She even filed a lawsuit against Cohen and Bravo in 2022 alleging racism and a hostile work environment — though she dropped the suit four months later.
So, while fans still hope to see NeNe back on their screens, it’s clear the path forward is complicated. The woman who once defined what it means to be a Real Housewife seems reluctant to return in anything less than a starring role.
As NeNe herself put it, “First Housewife, and I’m a friend? I don’t know.”
