Nene Leakes has proven herself to be the housewife out of all Bravo franchises to have the most legendary sound bites. Since season 1, Leakes was a standout. Beloved for her tell-it like it is attitude and her ability to shade her co-stars with a smile. She also became the people’s champ.
Viewers watched Leakes go from a traditional housewife with a sem-checkered past to an in-demand actress, fashion designer, business owner, and Broadway star. All the while, she remained relatable and continued providing meme-worthy moments.
But Leakes recently complained that she doesn’t benefit off of her most talked about moments on the show. When a fan asked the Real Housewives of Atlanta OG whether she find joy out of her moments being retweeted and reshared across social media, she said a firm no. “Joy? Not really!” she tweeted back. “I’m not making a dime off any of these thousands of meme #smh never have.”
Despite such, fans can’t get enough of Leakes. Here are Leakes’ top 5 RHOA moments.
“Close your legs to married men”
Probably the start of Leakes’ iconic status as a reality star was when she aired all of her longtime nemesis Kim Zolciak-Biermann’s business. Viewers watched Zolciak-Biermann (then just Zolaciak) be gifted with lavish clothes, jewelry, furniture, and cars from a man she affectionately called “Pig Poppa.” Zolciak-Biermann said Poppa preferred to not reveal his identity. By the season 1 reunion, Leakes was furious with Zolciak-Biermann for the drama they endured throughout the season and famously told her co-star, “Close your legs to married men,” spilling the tea that Poppa was legally married.
“Jealous of what? Sticks”
Leakes and Sheree Whitfield were friends for over a decade before RHOA. But when they began filming season 1, their friendship began to fall. They both accused one another of stabbing each other in the back and feuded on and off moving forward. By the season 4 reunion, Whitfield was building her dream house, Chateau Sheree, and for years, the house remained at a standstill. When Whitfield told Leakes she felt Leakes was jealous, Leakes responded with a straight face, “Jealous of what, sticks?”
“Not a white refrigerator”
Leakes and Kenya Moore were friendly before things a turn for the worse. In fact, when Moore was evicted from her Atlanta rental in season 6 and forced to stay in a hotel, she called on Leakes to help her out. Leakes visited Moore at her hotel and was less than impressed. Besides calling the area “the ghetto,” Leakes was disgusted that Moore’s hotel suite had a white refrigerator.
“I said what I said”
Leakes and Kandi Burruss got off to a rough start. For whatever reason, the two did not clique. Leakes said their issues stemmed from Burruss’ friendship with Zolzciak and feeling that Buruss pre-judged her. They traded jabs often but when Leakes made a comment referencing Burruss’ mother threatening to drag one of her friends, Burruss was offended. Still, Leakes refused to apologize.
Nay-Nay has arrived
Another newbie that didn’t get off on the right start with Leakes was Claudia Jordan, who joined in season 7. Leakes felt Jordan tried too hard to fit in. During a cast trip to Puerto Rico, the two got into a heated exchange when Leakes asked Jordan whether she could think for herself. The argument ended with Leakes calling Jordan a “wh-re.” As Porsha Williams put it, “Nene has left the building and Nay-Nay has arrived.”
