NeNe Leakes Still Owns The Rolex Watch She Was Gifted In Season 4, And 10 Other Things We Learned From Her New Explosive Interview
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Unless you are living under a rock or have never had the pleasure of experiencing the NeNe Leakes seasons of Real Housewives of Atlanta, then you’ve probably heard about NeNe Leakes’ explosive sit down interview with reality producer Carlos King that dropped this week.
It was NeNe's first interview in years since leaving The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and the two-part, two-and-a-half-hour interview contained a lot of information and it definitely shook the table.
So being the generous person that I am, I sat down to listen to the full interview and compiled some of the biggest takeaways.
And if you want to check out the full interview for yourself, you can do so now by heading to Carlos King's podcast — Reality with the King — or his YouTube channel now.
1.Her friendship with Cynthia Bailey will never be the same.
NeNe opened up about her friendship with her once bestie, Cynthia Bailey, stating that she and Cynthia were actual real-life friends outside of the show, and that Cynthia (contrary to popular belief) had a voice of her own. She told Carlos, “I know the Cynthia in front of the camera and I know Cynthia that’s not on camera. And so I feel like definitely the Cynthia that’s not on camera has the strength. And she’s vocal enough to be on the show, for sure, without Peter,” she explained. “But on camera, I felt like she never really wanted to show that side of her.”
However, when asked if she would ever reconsider becoming friends with her former costar, NeNe declined. She also stated that she believes that Cynthia, along with production and other housewives, conspired to “stop her bag” and force her off the show. Looks like these two won’t be catching up anytime soon.
2.Did Kenya Moore change the show for the worse? At times, NeNe thinks so.
NeNe said she felt the show changed when Kenya joined RHOA in Season 5, and while she acknowledged that it wasn’t just Kenya who changed RHOA, NeNe maintained that this time period was when things changed for her. NeNe opened up to King about this, sharing that she felt, when the show first started, the cast was showing their real lives and relationships. “Our stories were real, everything we talked about and did was real,” she said. “We didn’t pretend like we had a boyfriend when we didn’t have one. I think once Kenya came on the show, I’m not saying that Kenya started it or did it, but I’m saying at that moment it started to be, ‘let’s create our storyline.'”
She further explained that she felt like the show had an organic chemistry during its first few years and once the ladies came onto the show with forced storylines/lies (i.e. Phaedra's due date and Kenya’s “boyfriend” Walter) the show started to change.
3.NeNe does, however, think Kenya Moore is a necessary addition to Real Housewives of Atlanta.
When King suggested that some fans believed NeNe's tumultuous relationship with Kenya Moore over the years was due, in part, to Kenya becoming a star of RHOA in her own right, NeNe responded by saying, “Now I’m not even being shady, seriously,” she continued. “Honestly, I’ve never thought she was the star of the show ever. I think Kenya is great on the show and I think she was a great addition to the show, and I think the show needs Kenya, by the way. But I never saw her as the star of Real Housewives of Atlanta ever.”
Despite the show changing, however, NeNe still thinks Kenya is vital to the show’s overall success, and while there was shade thrown Kenya’s way during this interview, NeNe still gave the Miss USA alum her flowers.
4.NeNe did not want Phaedra Parks to join Real Housewives of Atlanta at first.
In a shocking turn of events, NeNe finally admitted that she did know Phaedra before the show — and she wasn’t happy about her joining the show. Day one RHOA fans know the infamous and hilarious beef with NeNe and Phaedra that was heavily Mariah and J.Lo coded. NeNe claimed she didn’t know Phaedra when she joined the show in Season 3, while Phaedra begged to differ, claiming that the pair grew up together. In this interview, not only does NeNe admit that she knew Phae Phae, but she wasn’t happy about her joining the show due to her thinking the witty attorney was “stepping on her turf."
5.Do you all remember the iconic "bling bling bling, bitches is mad" and "It's getting weird" meme moments from NeNe's incredible scene in Season 4? Well, she still has that Rolex.
During Season 4 of RHOA NeNe temporarily separated from her then-husband Gregg and she starts hanging out with her business partner. Things started to get a bit weird, though, and when he gifts her a Rolex, she's hesitant to accept it but decides it's the best thing because, "Bling bling bling, bitches is mad." NeNe is and always will be such a star for this scene.
6.Former costars Shereé Whitfield and NeNe Leakes have never really seen eye to eye and this interview gave us more clarity into that.
NeNe states that she doesn’t think production/network really valued Shereé and she’s never seen her as the main girlie on RHOA. And if you recall, in RHOA’s early seasons, NeNe was left off the guest list of Shereé’s birthday party after the pair had words. Shereé, 53, later admitted she purposely excluded NeNe from the list. However, NeNe shared with Carlos King that she “always knew” that was the case. “That’s probably the best thing she did was leave me off of the list. Honestly … the show became huge from that moment forward, she said. “But I always knew she purposely left me off the list. … Now the question would be, why? Why leave me off the list? Honey, without me, there’s no you.”
7.NeNe Leakes and Kandi Burruss went to bat to ensure that newer star Porsha Williams stayed on as a cast member on RHOA.
As previously mentioned in Dave Quinn's book Not All Diamonds and Rosé, Porsha Williams was apparently originally on the chopping block after her first season on RHOA. NeNe opened up about how she and Kandi called the network themselves to vouch for Porsha to stay on the show, which ended up being one of the best decisions made in RHOA history.
8.NeNe has some regrets about filming with her family on the show.
NeNe expressed some regrets she had about some of her family’s involvement early on the show, including a time she tried to discipline one of her sons on camera. She spoke about this, telling King, “I disciplined my son once on camera that everybody goes back and, and say, over and over, ‘You lost your damn mind.’ You know? I felt like that really hurt my son’s feelings,” she confessed. “I don’t wanna hurt my children in the process of doing something that I wanna do. So I wished I could take that moment back.”
9.NeNe maintains that she is still the star of Real Housewives of Atlanta — and let's be honest, she is.
NeNe continuously stating that she is the star of RHOA needs no explanation. There are plenty of powerhouse women on the show, but none compare to the great NeNe Leakes. She deserves her flowers.
10.NeNe also shared that she thinks of Real Housewives of Atlanta as her baby.
Throughout the interview, you can see how NeNe really speaks highly of what the show meant for people and the impact it has on pop culture. She looks at the show as her baby, mainly because she’s been there since day one and has always wanted the show to succeed. Whether it meant putting an event together for the show or coming together with the girls for the betterment of the show, you can’t think of RHOA without NeNe Leakes.
11.NeNe doesn't currently watch Real Housewives of Atlanta — and hasn't since she left the show after Season 12.
NeNe told King that she hasn’t watched the show since her exit ahead of Season 13 but has, of course, seen some clips online. “As far as I’m concerned they’re all sitting in my house, the house that I built. And it seems like it’s tumbling down."
