Reality star NeNe Leakes has announced her exit of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
The 52 year old RHOA original cast member who first left the series after season seven before returning for season ten through 12, announced the news in a YouTube video.
“I started on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ in 2008. We took off like a rocket. I mean, we took off,” she said. “You could have never told me that I [would have] starred on this little show and it still be going strong 13, 14 years later — and it is. 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 all now love so much: reality TV.”
“It wasn’t an easy decision for me.” “I have been on an extremely, extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation,” she said. “There has been a lot of emotion flying on both sides.” News had made rounds earlier about her departure.
Thanking fans for her journey, NeNe Leakes said:
“Thank you so much for your love and support. I want to thank BravoTV. Thank you, Bravo, for all the memories, the laughs, the tears. Thank you to my production company, Truly Original. Thank you guys so very much. Thank you. You guys are like family to me. I love you, and I thank you,” Leakes continued. “Thank you to the cast for all of the memories. Thank you so much to my team who have stood with me during this time and supported me, pushed me. Thank you guys so much.”
Executive producer Andy Cohen also reacted to the news on social media, tagging her “an icon of the genre.”
“Through her whole run, she has always had a serious concern and drive to maintain the success and well-being of #RHOA,” he added. “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.”
