Nene Leakes’ campaign against Bravo executives and RHOA producers continues. For the past three seasons, rumors have spread like wildfire that Leakes’ spot on the show was in jeopardy.
Season 11 proved to be a breaking point for the OG housewife. She dealt with marital issues amid her husband’s cancer diagnosis. Leakes also notably ripped the shirt of a cameraman during a heated argument with her co-stars over them entering her closet.
All of this resulted in her filming fewer episodes for season 12. She was also on the outs with all of her co-stars, sans Porsha Williams, by the end of the season. After months of rumors that Bravo wanted her out, Leakes confirmed that she was not returning to the show for season 13.
She’s now speaking out about what she calls unfair treatment that she alleges that is going behind the scenes. She claims Bravo forced her out and have been trying to do so for years, despite previously denying this. Leakes also insinuates that because she’s Black, she’s treated poorly and used as a scapegoat on the show.
Her newest claim is that she was treated so horribly that it was reminiscent of an overworked and underpaid McDonald’s employee. It’s speculated that Leakes earns over $1 million per season, but the says the conditions were that harsh.
As for why she makes such a comparison, Leakes says it’s because Bravo sought to minimize her role, only offering her to appear in six episodes and not participate in the entire season. She does admit that her salary would not have been affected.
In a new interview with Extra, Leakes says, “If you are working at McDonald’s, working 40 hours a week, they drop you down to 20 hours, they drop you down to 15, they drop you down to 10, it’s obvious that they want you to quit,” she says. “Something is very wrong with going from 18 or 23 episodes down to six… In the last four to five years, it has been less and less… Things just didn’t feel fair.”
Despite her feelings, Leakes hopes to sit and talk things through with her former employer.
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