Just days after Bravo received an enormous amount of backlash for trying to erase NeNe Leakes’ legacy from the Real Housewives of Atlanta, it seems they’ve changed their tune.
Let’s not forget; NeNe IS the Real Housewives franchise, period. Yes, Orange County came first, followed by New York. However, much of the success Bravo has had with its network and the Housewives zeitgeist belongs to none other than Mrs. Leakes.
On the latest episode of RHOA, editors tried to be shady by erasing NeNe from the Season 4 intro shot. Fans quickly noticed and called them out for their actions. “This was disrespectful,” one user wrote on Twitter. “NeNe was part of putting #RHOA [on] the map! Not this erasure!”
Even though NeNe’s lawsuit was dismissed, it appears there are still some hard feelings between both parties. Perhaps the network thought they’d be able to quickly play this flashback without anyone noticing, but unfortunately for them, it was the complete opposite.
NBC restored an edited version of RHOA on Peacock
Following the pushback from fans, Peacock took the latest episode of RHOA off its platform. After a few hours, an edited version was restored. In it, Bravo and its production companies worked around the clip that had NeNe magically erased like it never happened.
For NeNe’s fans, this feels like a big win. Although her chances of appearing on the show again are slim to none, denying her impact will never go over well.
It’s been three years since we’ve last seen Leakes appear on the Real Housewives. Besides her quick stint on College Hill: Celebrity Edition, after her lawsuit against Truly Entertainment, Truly Original, NBCUniversal, and Andy Cohen, NeNe hasn’t worked on television since. However, fans are hopeful producers of other shows will give her a call to make their series pop.
Real Housewives of Atlanta continues Sundays at 8/7c.
TELL US — ARE YOU SURPRISED BRAVO EDITED THE CLIP OUT? WHY DO YOU THINK THEY DID IT?
