Bethenny Frankel’s “reality reckoning” continues, and now, she has an ally in NeNe Leakes. The former star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta sat down for a lengthy interview on Bethenny’s podcast this week. There’s nothing better than two former employees getting together to trash their former employer. They have nothing to lose, and that’s when they’re at their best.
During the chat, Bethenny gave NeNe the opportunity to speak on her discrimination complaint against Bravo. It’s been well over a year since NeNe first called out Bravo and Andy Cohen for unfair treatment. But, this is the first time another person from within the Bravo universe allowed NeNe to fully air out her complaints. On the podcast, NeNe didn’t mince any words. She fully believes that the Black Real Housewives are treated differently than the white ones.
A behind-the-scenes double standard
During the interview, Nene reflected on the infamous RHOA scene where she grabbed the cameraman by the t-shirt to prevent him from going into her closet. That moment didn’t do NeNe any favors, and it was the beginning of NeNe’s fall from grace. In contrast, NeNe explained to Bethenny how white Housewives have gotten away with much more egregious behavior.
“This is where I think we get different treatment and there’s a difference in how we’re treated because there are so many girls doing things. You had Teresa [Giudice] flipping a table, Teresa pushing Andy down, you had girls busting glasses. You got people doing all kinds of stuff, but me grabbing the camera guy’s shirt, they acted as if it was so freaking major,” NeNe explained.
Comparing peaches to oranges
NeNe continued to reflect on her final days of negotiations before ultimately deciding to leave RHOA. According to her, she was only being offered six episodes for Season 13. The producers chopped it up to the fact that she seemed “unhappy.” NeNe felt like her status on the show should have guaranteed her better treatment. Or, at least, it should have guaranteed her a more valid reason for being demoted. In comparison, she referenced how when Teresa went to jail, The Real Housewives of New Jersey went on pause until she returned.
NeNe argued, “I’m the only original housewife on the show, and all the original housewives on their shows, all white women, and they are all given full episodes, and I’m the only Black original on my show, and I was given less. I was given six, and they were given 18.”
According to NeNe, she was willing to sign on for the part-time role. She gave credit to the encouragement of Gregg Leakes and her team at the time. But, things changed when she got into a meeting with the network executives. She claimed they tried to pressure her into feuding with Kandi Burruss upon her return to the show. NeNe didn’t want to do that. She felt that because it was the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, it was an inappropriate request.
NeNe claimed, “I think we had some issues the season prior to and they wanted to make sure I confronted her and addressed her and I said, ‘No, I really don’t want to do that. This is Black Lives Matter and I don’t want to do that.’ And I didn’t do it. I felt like it was Black Lives Matter. I should have been there, they were trying to push me out at a time that was very important in the Black culture and if I appeared that season they wanted me to argue with Kandi and that was something I did not want to do.”
Retaliation after Season 13
When discussing the racial disparities among Housewives, another sticking point for NeNe was her notorious reunion exit from Season 13. It was the virtual reunion because of the pandemic. Famously, Nene slammed her laptop shut and left the reunion out of frustration. According to her, she’s been blacklisted ever since.
On the other hand, she referenced the fact that Kim Zolciak walked off from RHOA in the middle of the season and ended up being rewarded with a spinoff show. Similarly, Lisa Vanderpump skipped her final reunion on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, yet continued to be rewarded with spinoff shows on Bravo and beyond.
NeNe told Bethenny that behind the scenes, she had been complaining to the network about this kind of unfair treatment for years, but her complaints were ignored. Even after NeNe raised the legal complaint about Bravo’s discriminatory behavior, she never once heard from anyone at the network.
“I don’t know their response [to the lawsuit] because I have worked with this company for a long time. I had issues, you would think that someone there would have said, ‘Let’s pick up the phone and talk to her and see what’s happening.’ They never picked up the phone. No one ever wanted to speak to me,” NeNe alleged.
At this point, her complaints are loud and clear. She’s years removed from the show at this point, so she has nothing to lose. They ignored her before, but will anyone listen now that she has Bethenny’s cosign?
TELL US – DID YOU LISTEN TO THE NENE AND BETHENNY INTERVIEW? ARE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT NO ONE FROM BRAVO CONTACTED NENE TO HEAR HER COMPLAINTS? WHAT DO YOU THINK IS NEXT FOR NENE?
