It’s hard to imagine Real Housewives of Atlanta without OG NeNe Leakes, 52, especially for longtime cast member Porsha Williams, 38! “Porsha is really hoping that NeNe does sign her contract and come back to the show,” an insider close to the ladies spills to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “They’ve gotten extremely close especially during quarantine. NeNe is like a mother hen to her and always is checking in on [her 1-year-old daughter] PJ, it’s sweet. They’ve come really far,” the source also told us.
The rest of the cast, however — which includes Kandi Burruss, 44, Cynthia Bailey, 53, and Kenya Moore, 49 — are indifferent about NeNe returning for season 13. “The other ladies don’t care either way if NeNe returns or not. They’re not surprised that NeNe hasn’t signed her contract yet because she does this every season,” our insider spilled. “Last year she wasn’t in the first few episodes because she refused to sign her contract. They know NeNe is NeNe. They know she doesn’t make or break the show and feel it’ll go on successfully with or without her in it,” they concluded.
A recent report surfaced that the Never Make the Same Mistake Twice author was fired from RHOA, but NeNe’s manager Steven Grossman set the record straight. “It is absolutely not true that Nene has been fired from RHOA. Furthermore, it was made abundantly clear prior that she will always be welcome on the series as long as she wants to be.” He went on to confirm that they “have not made any decisions regarding next season specifically,” hilariously signing off with NeNe’s signature catchphrase, “bloop.”
NeNe herself appeared to cryptically respond to the June 17 report, posting a series of laughing-crying emojis to Twitter along with a dramatic screenshot of herself erupting in laughter to Instagram just hours after. “I can’t chileeeeeeee,” NeNe wrote via Instagram, hinting that that the reports were, in fact, false.
Notably, Eva Marcille, 35, confirmed she was not returning for season 13 on June 16. “I am thankful for the opportunity I was provided. However, after speaking with my family and representatives, I believe that what I hope to accomplish for the culture and community will be better served by focusing on other opportunities,” she said in statement.