‘RHOA’: Andy Cohen Once Shared Nene Leakes’ Nickname for Him
Nene Leakes’ fate on The Real Housewives of Atlanta may be up in the air, but if there’s one thing that’s been consistent, it’s her banter with Andy Cohen.
She has solid relationships with castmates Marlo Hampton and Porsha Williams, iffy dynamics with Kandi Burruss, and an on-off friendship with Cynthia Bailey.
But with Cohen, things are somewhat different. At one point, he even revealed the nickname she gave him.
Nene Leakes and Andy Cohen have had their ups and downs
RHOA first aired in 2008 and Leakes immediately became the series’ star. To this day, many fans feel that she is the show. Over the years, viewers have seen Leakes and the executive producer/host exchange jokes, shade, and occasional testy remarks during reunions or Watch What Happens Live segments.
Back in February, Cohen came to Leakes’ defense when Kenya Moore insinuated Bravo was pushing her off the series. However, during the season 12 reunion in May, Cohen liberally put Leakes on mute when screaming matches erupted with her castmates.
Following the firings of several Bravo reality personalities for racist behavior, Leakes expressed some dissatisfaction with how Black talent and employees are treated at the network. Her future on RHOA isn’t clear for season 13, and it’s unknown where her current relationship with Cohen stands. But once upon a time, he warmly regarded Leakes as a friend.
Andy Cohen revealed Nene’s nickname for him
In the spirit of throwbacks, let’s revisit an old episode of Watch What Happens Live. Back in 2015, it was Andy-Kandi-Brandy night when Cohen welcomed Burruss and the R&B singer to the show. All three played a trivia game that featured clues about each other, and there was one question that stumped Burruss.
Who’s nickname is “Buttercup?” Apparently, it’s Cohen’s. He revealed that Leakes gave him that name years before.
“That’s Nene Leakes’ name for me. She has called me that since season 1 of The Atlanta Housewives. Buttercup is her nickname for me.”
Burruss looked puzzled about the name choice but Cohen seemed to enjoy the special moniker. “I’m a buttery cup,” he joked. Do the math and you’ll note that’s at least seven years of being called Buttercup.
Cohen also praised Leakes in his book
Cohen released his first book in 2013 titled Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture. In 2016, he published Superficial: More Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries. Leakes is mentioned in both books, and during a WWHL sit-down with her and Jeff Lewis, he told her about one section in the second memoir.
“There’s an entry where I go ‘Nene was on the show tonight, felt like I had the night off.’ It was just a pleasure,” he said.
Cohen praised her (and Lewis), adding she’s meant so much to him on the show and to his career. He also said he loved them. He capped off his comments by stating that it’s not a show friendship, it’s a real friendship.
Leakes recently deleted her Instagram account and hasn’t spoken about whether she’s returning to RHOA for its upcoming season. Fans will have to stay tuned to see if she appears on the show and whether she and Cohen are still good friends.
