Portraits of Kandi Burruss and NeNe Leakes

Kandi Burruss Opens Up About Relationship With NeNe Leakes: 'We Don't Communicate'

Home / Stars / Kandi Burruss Opens Up About Relationship With NeNe Leakes: 'We Don't Communicate'

By Fiyin Olowokandi on June 28, 2022 at 7:00 AM PDT

Kandi Burruss and NeNe Leakes are both successful entrepreneurs who are popularly known for being featured on Bravo's reality television show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

Their relationship on and off the program is not so laidback, which Kandi recently confirmed to ET while also elaborating on their friendship status.

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Kandi Burruss Does Not Have A Good Relationship With NeNe Leakes

Kandi Burruss at the 2022 BET Awards - Los Angeles
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While appearing at the 2022 BET Awards ceremony, the 46-year-old songwriter spoke candidly about the reality program and her position with Leakes amid her Bravo lawsuit.

She said she and the 54-year-old were not on talking terms as they did not have "a good relationship in that sense." Kandi added:

"I don't know what the future would hold, but as of now, we don't have a good relationship, so we don't communicate. You can never say never, I would suppose, but as of now, we just aren't on the same page."

She further pointed out that being her authentic self created no avenue for anyone to "out" or "drag" her name through the mud.

The Xscape star believed that remaining so was best as she did not have to worry about people discovering scandalous things about her to reveal to the public.

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Her conversation with the outlet at the awards show comes after the SWAGG founder mentioned that she had not heard from anyone in the "RHOA" franchise amid her lawsuit against Bravo.

The lawsuit was filed in the Atlanta federal court and showed NBCUniversal, Bravo, production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original, as well as executive producer Andy Cohen as defendants.

The document also claimed that NBC and its parent company Comcast "perpetuate the lack of diversity in the industry."

Leakes further alleged through her legal representative David DeRubertis, that she was a victim of "systemic racism" from fellow housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann.

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NeNe Leakes at the BET Awards 2022
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She maintained that the racist behavior was tolerated by Cohen and other executives who have not remarked on any of the allegations.

Since filing the suit in April, the brilliant fashion designer claimed nobody from the show had communicated with her; nonetheless, she has a "really good support system" to assist with the case.

Leakes' lawsuit comes nearly two years after she announced her exit from "RHOA," much to fans' surprise as she was an original housewife who had been with the franchise for nearly a decade.

The Blast shared that she appreciated her fans and admitted that leaving was a tough decision. However, she was joyous to be "part of a genre that opened doors for Black ensemble reality shows."

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Months after her withdrawal, she ranted about her disapproval of Bravo and called for fans to boycott "RHOA" and Cohen's New Year's Eve countdown broadcast that year.

In both cases, she stressed the inequality of Black women who were not supported or respected and had been "blacklisted" for speaking about the companies' offenses.

Earlier in March, about two years after Leakes' racism and unfair treatment allegations, Kandi spoke out against the claims, calling them lies.

On an episode of SiriusXM Urban View's "The Clay Cane Show," she explained that the former "RHOA" star used to brag to everyone on the show about being the highest-paid housewife.

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The Grammy winner then noted that the series had done well to ensure all the housewives adequately earned "some real good money."

She added that there were certain things the housewives may not like on the show or want to change, but she disagreed with Leakes' claims that the executives or the show were racist.

Kim Zolciak-Biermann Calls The "RHOA" Alum's Racist Claims Ridiculous

Following Leakes' lawsuit filing against Bravo and the other production companies behind "RHOA" with Zolciak-Biermann as the subject of the accusations, Zolciak-Biermann slammed the claims.  

Earlier in June, The Blast reported that the lawsuit showed several past incidents involving Zolciak-Biermann making insulting remarks about race without being penalized.

The former "DWTS" contestant also recalled an instance on an "RHOA" season during a barbecue when her castmate allegedly stated that she did not want to sit around the fashion enthusiast and have chicken.

Leakes believed the statement was "an offensive stereotype about African-Americans" and further cited more situations revolving around the "Don't Be Tardy For The Wedding" star's racism.

Zolciak-Biermann eventually broke her silence about the allegations, saying she knew every "ridiculous" claim about her was false and promised to deal with Leakes regarding the case.

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