The Real Housewives franchise picks up and drops rich (well, some of them are rich) middle-aged women more than a cougar-hunting frat boy with low-morals, big arms, and mommy issues. Last year, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills OG, Lisa Vanderpump, exited stage left, and recently, Denise Richards quit after two seasons. And now another OG, NeNe Leakes, has flown the coop. Atlanta has lost its loudest peach… again.
Page Six says that 52-year-old NeNe has chosen not to return for the thirteenth season of Real Housewives of Atlanta. NeNe had been having a rough time on the show lately, as her marriage to Greg Leakes was strained by his fight with cancer. There had been talk about NeNe leaving for a while. Wendy Williams spilled that NeNe wanted to quit back in January. And it’s finally happened. NeNe said on YouTube:
“I have been on an extremely, extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation. There’s been a lot of emotion flying from both sides. It has been hard, and I have made the very hard and very difficult decision to not be a part of Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 13. It wasn’t an easy decision for me. It was hard… 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.”
NeNe also thanked anyone who has ever “looked up” to her and Bravo for “all the memories, the laughs, the tears.”
NeNe also talked about how someone on her team put out a statement last week about her quitting the show. She said she had “no knowledge of it, I didn’t approve it.”
“When something is this important and this near and dear to my heart, I always want to be the person to address you… I will see you again real soon.”
Bravo gave their own statement to Page Six:
“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. She’s been instrumental since the start and will truly be missed, and maybe one day she’ll hold the peach again.”
And Housewives‘ mafia boss, Andy Cohen, also said words about NeNe giving up that Trump Bravo check:
Nene Leakes is an icon of the genre. She is a gif and catchphrase machine. In 11 years of #WWHL, Nene has been our most frequent guest, and she isalways A BLAST. Nene nicknamed me “Buttercup” the first day we met, and still calls me that today. Through her whole run, she has always had a serious concern and drive to maintain the success and well-being of #RHOA. I am going to miss Nene on the show, but I’m hoping we work together again soon and will remain in each other’s orbits forever. XO, Buttercup. #Bloop#LowDownMonkeyWithAWig#CloseYourLegsToMarriedMen #WeSeeEachOthah#ISaidWhatISaid #TrumpCheck #ByeWig#SoNastyAndSoRude #Buttercup
- Via Instagram
Yeah, she absolutely will hold a peach again. NeNe has dipped from Atlanta before and then came running back when she needed an easy check, so we’ll see if this exit lasts longer than Kim Zolciak‘s filler or not.