Nene Leakes, the 52-year-old American TV personality, made a surprising exit from the show before season 13 of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
According to Leakes, her departure was one of the most difficult decisions she made.
“I have made the very hard and difficult decision not to be a part of “RHOA” Season 13; it wasn’t an easy decision for me… It was hard,” the star said on her YouTube page.
Leakes had been through several negotiations with Bravo, and they all dissolved with no contract. Her former co-stars have not discussed her exit, but Kandi Burruss recently commented on it.
Burruss’ Comment About Leakes’ Exit
At the beginning of “RHOA” season 13, Burruss had no idea about Leakes’ decision not to return to the show.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Burruss said she had no idea what was running through Leakes’ thoughts. She also noted that she had no idea Bravo would let her go, as they do not fill them in on impending actions taken against anyone.
“In the beginning of taping we just see more of my own personal life and story and eventually you start trickling in scenes with other people,” she said.
Leakes’ Reason For Leaving
Leakes discovered after she made her second run as a housewife that racial discrimination was her reason for leaving the “RHOA.”
She spotted that irrespective of other stars’ troublesome nature from the other franchise, they all got spinoffs. Leakes also disclosed that she was grateful for the opportunity she got from the show when she announced to leave in August this year.
She said, “You could’ve never told me that I would star on this little and it’s still been going strong 13 years later, 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 now love so much, reality TV.”
Burruss’ Talks About Her Friendship With Leakes
During “STEVE on Watch,” Burruss disclosed that her relationship with Leakes never got better and that they do not talk even after Leakes’ exit from the show.
When asked about Leakes, Burruss replied, “No. No, we don’t talk.” Burruss did not reveal too much about how she felt about Leakes’ exit, but she speculated that it was because Leakes negotiated with the cable network.
Burruss said, “I think, in negotiations, sometimes we get what we want, and sometimes we don’t get what we want,” she added. ‘Sometimes, if we don’t get what we want, we have to decide if we want to part ways. I think she made that decision for herself.’”
Burruss And Leakes May Never Reconcile On Set
Considering that Burruss and Leakes’ friendship was not so good while they were on the “RHOA” set together and Leakes’ recent decision to leave the show, they might never get the chance to reconcile and become friends in front of the camera.
Burruss once thought she would talk things out with Leakes earlier this year and settle any issues, but that did not happen. Although in an Instagram interview, Burruss said, “I don’t even feel that our drama is even that deep, I feel that we go through this every few years. In the beginning, it was a consistent thing, she and I would always shade each other. We stopped for a while, and we was in a decent place and now we have reverted to the past.”
