‘RHOA’ Alum Nene Leakes Explains Dropping Lawsuit Against Bravo and Andy Cohen
The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Nene Leakes may be lauded as the greatest housewife on Bravo by fans, but it wasn’t enough to keep her on the show. Leakes’ exit came as a shock, and she’s been open about wanting to return in the future. But it may not be feasible, considering she sued the network. Reports surfaced in recent months that the suit was dropped, but Leakes explained in a recent interview that it’s much more complicated than what’s on the surface, and litigation is ongoing.
Nene Leakes drops lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen
Leakes was fired from the show after Season 12. Rumors spread that production grew tired of working with Leakes, alleging she was challenging to work with. The longtime cast member claimed says she was phased out of the show after complaining about unfair treatment.
She sued the network for workplace discrimination and fostering a toxic work environment. In her suit, she alleged network executives allowed former co-star Kim Zolciak Biermann to make racially insensitive remarks. Leakes claimed she was retailed against after complaining about having spinoff opportunities and other press opportunities blocked.
AllAboutTheTea reports that Leakes dropped the suit, but she’ll be able to refile at a later date. A source told the outlet that she dismissed her suit due to contractual agreements in place between all Bravo stars and the network, which prohibits her from litigation against the company and/or production company.
She says she dropped the suit in order to go to mediation and is open to returning to the show
Leakes recently spoke with Larry Reid Live regarding her decision to drop the lawsuit. While it was dismissed, she explained that there’s a larger issue at hand that has to be settled.
“They have not talked to me at all. I’m just being honest. They have not talked to me at all. I have made many attempts to try to see can we talk and work through certain issues, but it has been crickets. We still have some legal things. It was [dropped],” she explained. “That part of it was dropped. It was dropped for legal issues so we could go into mediation. It was mutual on both sides to drop, and we worked that out through our attorneys. And the fact that we’re in this situation is a reason why we can’t really talk personally. We have to speak through our attorneys.”
Leakes says she doesn’t regret filing it because it was a build-up of unfair treatment that she says she experienced over the years. However, she’s hoping they can mend fences and potentially work together again, noting her contributions to the show.
The reality star reportedly was paid a multi-million dollar settlement
All About The Tea also reported that amid the initially dropped suit, Leakes was paid a hefty settlement. At one point, she was reportedly the highest-paid Housewife of any franchise, earning a reported $3 million a season.
“[She was given] around $4.5 million hush money,” a source alleges about the settlement. In exchange for the settlement, she reportedly signed a confidentiality agreement/non-disclosure agreement, which prohibits her from speaking about Bravo, Cohen, and the production company in the future. Or it seems she’ll be unable to speak in detail, at least until the full litigation process is complete.
