Nene Leakes returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta S17 🍑

NeNe Leakes said what she said!

The Real Housewives of Atlanta icon, 57, is getting candid about what it would take for her to return to the Bravo reality show — and why she’d be reluctant to appear as a “friend” like former costar Cynthia Bailey.

Cynthia, 58, talked up the benefits of returning to the Housewives franchise as a “friend” — namely, not having to feature your family or dive into your love life — to NeNe, who was the guest on the Monday, July 7, episode of Cynthia and Crystal Kung Minkoff’s “Humble Brag” podcast. (Cynthia was a full-time RHOA Housewife from seasons 3 to 13 before returning as a guest during season 15 and now a “friend” on season 16.)

NeNe said that while she likes the “friend” role, “If I were to ever step back on that platform, would I be friend? I really kind of feel like I don’t know that I would be a friend. … I just would think, NeNe, season 1, the first Housewife, and I’m a friend? I don’t know.”

NeNe was the breakout star of RHOA when it launched in 2008, appearing as a full-time Housewife from seasons 1 through 7 and as a guest on season 8. After sitting out season 9, NeNe returned as a full-time Housewife for seasons 10 to 12 before bowing out of the show for good.

The former Glee star filed a lawsuit against Bravo and executive producer Andy Cohen in April 2022, accusing the network and Cohen of “[fostering a corporate and workplace culture in which racially insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not encouraged.” However, she dropped the lawsuit that August.

In recent years, NeNe has appeared open to working with Bravo and parent company NBCUniversal again.

During her appearance on “Humble Brag,” NeNe said she was asked to be part of the cast for Peacock’s The Traitors season 4 but had to turn it down.

“So I was asked to do Traitors — I was really excited about doing it, by the way,” NeNe said.

“I couldn’t do Traitors ‘cause my son’s in the hospital. And he’s still in the hospital,” she added, referring to son Brentt, 26, who she said is dealing with complications from a heart transplant in July 2024.