Pride Month 2025 started off on a rough note for NeNe Leakes when an interview she did with Ts Madison went viral for all of the wrong reasons. The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum had a hard time wrapping her head around the differences between gender identity and sexual orientation, prompting tons of fans to call her out for her ignorance.
Now, as Pride Month comes to a close, Maddie is reflecting on her interview with NeNe. She’s not ready to denounce NeNe as a transphobe, but the whole debacle just underscores why we need more trans voices in media.
Ts Madison doesn’t think NeNe Leakes is transphobic
In the original interview from The NeNe Leakes Show, the RHOA star insinuated that only gay men date trans women. Then, she went on to declare that she wouldn’t date a guy if he had previously been with someone transgender.
Over the weekend, TMZ caught up with Maddie and asked her about the poorly-received conversation with NeNe. She made it clear that she doesn’t have animosity towards NeNe, but she thinks she needs to open her mind.
“I don’t think that NeNe was necessarily being transphobic,” Maddie admitted. “I think that her thoughts are rooted in pieces of stuff that has been passed down.”
She continued, “Do I think she sees me as a man? Yes. Do I think she respects me on the surface as a trans woman? Probably, Maybe not, I don’t know.”
With that said, Maddie made it clear that she’s not mad at NeNe. She even sent a follow–up statement to TMZ, walking back the comment about NeNe seeing her as a man. She recognized that there’s value in having uncomfortable conversations, especially in the Black community.
“There are real gaps in how we, as a culture, understand the difference between sex, gender, sexual orientation, and identity. And the truth is, a lot of people — including cisgender women — are still learning. That doesn’t mean they’re hateful, it means they’re growing.”
She continued, “I stand ten toes down in who I am, and I’m not offended by someone trying to understand me better. This moment isn’t about division. It’s about dialogue — and if you really listened to what I said, you’d hear that too.”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs on Sundays at 8/7c. It streams on Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US – DID NENE’S COMMENTS ABOUT THE TRANS COMMUNITY SURPRISE YOU?
