Linnethia “NeNe” Leakes has recently filed a lawsuit against networks and executives that produce The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and now, fans are in agreement with Leakes’ claims about the networks. Leakes made headlines on April 20 when it was announced that she was suing NBC Universal, Bravo, True Entertainment, and Truly Original, in addition to Andy Cohen and other executive producers from these companies for harboring a racist work environment and culture. After several complaints about the network, Leakes claims that she had difficulty negotiating contracts for RHOA, was given fewer episodes to appear on, and was eventually blacklisted and blackballed in the industry.
In her list of grievances, Leakes stated that the housewives from RHOA received less promotional materials than the white housewives. “The promotional materials for the Black housewives were not treated in the same manner as the materials for the white shows – e.g., lower budget; old, outdated photos; failing to touch up in the same manner, etc.,” alleges the suit obtained by Radar Online. Leakes says she spoke to the network about the difference in treatment but she was essentially ignored. There was also a notable difference between the trips the Black and white housewives would take, in terms of budget and other related factors. The suit considers the treatment of the RHOA housewives to be inferior in comparison to the others.
On April 27, Kandi Burruss, a long-time housewife from RHOA, posted a promotional video with the other housewives on her Instagram page; this video was also shared in a now-deleted Instagram story by Andy Cohen. Part-time journalist, Anthony Dominic, revealed information about the video on Twitter, and his tweets were shared on a social media outlet called The Neighborhood Talk. In the tweets, Dominic said that the women funded the video so that they could do more promoting for the upcoming season and Bravo had no ties to the video and was not even aware the video was being done. “The ladies felt other franchises, like #RHOBH get new promos/photos and theirs every 3 to 4 years.“
Once the post by the social media outlet was made, fans immediately commented and showed their support for Leakes’ claims. One commenter said, “Nene about to be vindicated. She literally complained about how other franchises get preferential treatment and how the Atlanta franchise gets bare bones.” Another commenter said, “This actually goes to support Nene’s racial discrimination claim. The first majority Black then entirely Black franchise having disparate promo? Bravo, it’s not looking good for you.” In a post on Twitter, Dominic shared a poll he conducted that reached 8,000 persons. The poll inquired about whether fans had seen more promotion for RHOA or RHOBH. While 41% said they had seen more promotion for RHOA, 59% said they had seen more promotion for RHOBH.
In addition to agreeing with the claims Leakes has made, some fans of the show are also saying they will not watch the new season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta because Leakes is no longer on the show. On the contrary, some fans are looking forward to Marlo Hampton’s first season as a peach holder as well as Sheree Whitfield’s return. Kenya Moore, Kandi Burruss, Drew Sidora, and newcomer Sanya Richards-Ross will also be appearing in the new season of the reality series.
