NeNe Leakes Opens Up About Strained Relationship With Andy Cohen

Heavy/NBCUniversal Andy Cohen

NeNe Leakes spoke out about Andy Cohen and the relationship between Housewives and the Bravo head during her recent conversation with fellow alum Bethenny Frankel. Leakes joined Frankel on the latter’s podcast “Just B” for a wide-ranging interview about their time on reality TV during which the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum said that she didn’t think she and Cohen “were good friends.”

Despite appearing regularly on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” and getting the coveted first chair at many RHOA reunions, Leakes said, “My good friends, I go to their house or I visit their home at some point, so I never visited his home… [We were] probably a little more than [colleagues] because I could call him on his cell.”

“I have gone out with him, out on the town, and I’ve gone drinking with him and I’ve partied with him,” she continued. “[But] I did not know where it stood. I thought we had a good relationship.” However, Leakes then shared that in the Housewives world, a friendship with Cohen is a “real game” the cast members have to play. “I don’t think he ever liked me.”

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NeNe Leakes Claimed That She Was Blocked in the Industry After Filing a Lawsuit Against Andy Cohen & Bravo

On Frankel’s podcast, Leakes also claimed that since filing a lawsuit against Cohen and Bravo, she was “severely retaliated against” and hasn’t been able to get work “at all in any area of entertainment.” She said, “I am not just a reality star, I’m an entertainer. I sing, dance, act, and do reality, OK? As a Black woman, I have to be able to do everything. At the end of the day, I do cartwheels and flips. They shut my work down.”

“So you mean to tell me as a talented person, there was nothing for me to host, there was nothing for me to act in, sing in, dance in, jump in clap in — nothing?” She added, “The doors were closed.”

Leakes also revealed to listeners that she hasn’t talked to Cohen in three years, though not for lack of trying on her part. “I did call him. He has not taken my phone call,” she claimed. “I’ve tried to find a way for he and I to sit down and talk but he’s never wanted to do that.”

She said her intention in trying to talk to Cohen has been to clear the air and not to get back on RHOA or any other show. “I actually feel sad for a person who doesn’t have a forgiving heart,” she continued. “He’s never wanted to [move on]. And it’s OK. I’m not pushing it. Everybody moves when they’re ready in their time. He’s not ready and that’s okay.”

NeNe Leakes Recently Congratulated Andy Cohen on the Birth of His Daughter

Leakes’ comments echoed some that she made on August 1 while speaking to Carlos King on his podcast “Reality With the King.” At the time, Leakes appeared to extend an olive branch to Cohen, congratulating him on the birth of his second child, a daughter named Lucy.

She said while she was originally made, she got over it as it wasn’t her intention to “hold a grudge forever.” Leakes also spoke directly to Cohen through the camera as she told him, “I hate that we’re in this place.” She said she was hopeful the two could reach some sort of understanding about each other and work through their problems.

Leakes was one of the original “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast members and starred on the show for 7 seasons before taking a break. She returned for seasons 10 through 12 before leaving the show for good.

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