NeNe Leakes has nothing but kind words for her frenemy, Kim Zolciak.
The reality star expressed support for her former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star during her divorce, claiming that Zolciak is struggling to navigate through the contentious split from her husband, Kroy Biermann, amid their ongoing financial woes.
NeNe Leakes Has Made Her Support For Kim Zolciak Known To All
Leakes has opened up about recently running into Zolciak and shared that the “Don’t Be Tardy” star expressed having a tough time during her divorce.
“I saw her in a restaurant a couple of days ago. She said she was having a hard time,” the 56-year-old said before clarifying that despite the challenges, Zolciak “looked great,” and their interaction remained positive. In her words:
“Other than that we just kept it positive. Nobody ever wants to see a family breakup. There are kids involved.”
Going even further with her support for Zolciak, Leakes told TMZ that she hopes her longtime pal and her now-estranged husband “can figure it out whether it’s together or apart. Because your happiness and peace are the most important.”
Regardless of any past animosity, Leakes had more positive words for Zolciak, complimenting her on her tiny figure and emphasizing admiration for her appearance. The television personality’s glowing words come more than one year after she took legal action against the creators of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” for allegedly creating a hostile work environment.
The lawsuit, filed in April 2022, cited Bravo, NBC Universal, True Entertainment, Truly Original, and “RHOA” executive producer Andy Cohen as defendants. Leakes claimed in the court documents that she raised concerns about racist remarks from Zolciak but faced consequences for speaking up.
She recalled an incident from the first season when the housewives were planning to attend a barbecue, and Zolciak remarked, “I don’t want to sit around with NeNe and eat chicken,” a statement characterized as “an offensive stereotype about African-Americans.”
The “Glee” alum made another allegation against Zolciak in the lawsuit, pointing to an incident in season five when the latter referred to fellow housewife Kandi Burruss’s new home as “ghetto.” Additionally, during an argument in the same season, Zolciak allegedly used the N-word to address Leakes.
Leakes added that her continuous complaints about racism led to her forceful exit from the show in 2020, just before the 13th season. She claimed that the production companies tried to sideline her from being vocal about the Black Lives Matter cause, which was gaining momentum at the time.
Per The Blast, the suit stated at the time, “As the Black Lives Matter movement swept our nation, Mrs. Leakes — Bravo’s historically most successful Black female talent — should have been embraced by NBC, Bravo, and True. Instead, NBC, Bravo, and True forced her out of the ‘house she built,’ denying her a regular role.”
Some Housewives Disagreed With Leakes’ Claims About Dealing With Racist Comments
Even though it took her over a month after Leakes initiated the legal action against Bravo and the other networks involved in “RHOA,” Zolciak opted to address the situation. The moment came when the original housewives of the franchise reunited for a special episode of “OWN’s The Nightcap” hosted by Carlos King.
While Zolciak, alongside Shereé Whitfield, DeShawn Snow, and Lisa Wu, were all present, Leakes, whose lawsuit prevented her from participating, was absent. During the reunion, King, a former producer of the show, brought up Leakes’ lawsuit and asked Zolciak for her thoughts on the allegations.
“I mean, she knows what she’s saying is not true in regards to me. That’s ridiculous, and she knows it. So, I’ll deal with her when she’s done with them,” she responded.
Another housewife who publicly disputed Leakes’ racism allegations was Burruss, who said, “Realistically, I don’t agree… Everybody can have their own opinion. I did not agree,” during a March 2022 appearance on “The Clay Cane Show.” She continued:
“You can’t brag about being paid the most out of anybody and then say that they’re not treating you right. I know, a lot of the women, especially at that time – now we got a lot of new people, it’s not as many of us left on the show – but at that time, we still had like, four or five of us, who had been there for a while, making some real good money.”