RHOA: How Did Kenya Moore and Nene Leakes Feud Start? A History of Their Love-Hate Relationship

The feud between Nene Leakes and Kenya Moore on RHOA has reached its boiling point. The two almost came to blows, with Leakes threatening to hit Moore and charging at her on the latest episode. Their contentious relationship has been longstanding, but they once were friendly with one another. Giving where Moore and Leakes’s relationship is now, it’s hard to imagine that they once considered each other friends. 

Kenya Moore and Nene Leakes started off as friends

Moore and Leakes were friends during Moore’s early days of RHOA. Moore joined the show during season 5 and quickly bonded with Leakes. As Leakes’s acting career began to take off, the two had a shared love overacting, as Moore has done a few guest appearances in film and television over the years and also had her own production company.

Leakes played the role as a teacher to Moore during her first season, trying to integrate her into the social circle with the other cast members. She also was a mediator between Moore and Porsha Williams as they fought throughout the season. Moore looked to Leakes for advice on how to navigate within the group of women.

They bonded further as Leakes’s ongoing feud with former RHOA star Phaedra Parks escalated. Moore and Parks fell out over a production deal gone bad when Parks tapped Moore to help put together a fitness DVD. Leakes and Parks were already feuding from disagreements from previous seasons.

Both Moore and Leakes battled it out with Parks during the season 5 reunion and were of the belief that Parks led a fake life for the show and was manipulative behind the scenes.

Kenya Moore and Nene Leakes’s rift began when Leakes invited Moore’s ex-boyfriend to her wedding

During season 5 of RHOA, Moore dated a towtruck company owner named Walter. Many of her castmates believed that their relationship was fake and a way for Moore to get onto the show, including Leakes. However, Leakes remained supportive of Moore.

Her support extended to Moore when she and Walter broke up during a cast trip to Anguilla after Walter refused to propose. Humiliated, Leakes comforted Moore during the embarrassing ordeal. 

Issues between Moore and Leakes began in season 6 after Moore opted not to attend Leakes 2013 wedding due to Leakes inviting Walter to the ceremony. Leakes explained that Walter was on the guest list as a guest of her husband – and that his presence should not have affected her coming. 

Nene Leakes blamed Kenya Moore for a physical fight in season 6 

Moore and Leakes made amends after the wedding argument, only to fall out again after Leakes blamed Moore for a physical altercation that broke out between the husbands of the show. Moore was confronted by a friend to the show’s husband for Moore telling his wife that he did not claim her as such. Leakes believed that when Moore “charged” toward the man, chaos ensued. 

Moore attempted to make up with Leakes after the fight by honoring Leakes at a charity event, but Leakes viewed Moore’s attempt as a ploy to save face and not something that was genuine. Leakes took the microphone at the event and called Moore out in front of her guests, which Moore deemed as classless. 

At the season 6 reunion, Leakes doubled down on her belief that Moore was responsible for the fight and apologized for her behavior at the charity event. But, she stood by her claim that Moore honored her for show. She also accused Moore of hiring boyfriends to appear on the show and claimed that Moore was currently dating a fake African prince. 

Kenya Moore and Nene Leake’s feud has only worsened

Leakes left the show for two seasons but returned in season 10. Moore and Leakes didn’t have much drama as Moore’s focus was on her new marriage and Leakes spent the season arguing with Kim Zolaziack. Moore and Leakes even joined forces at the season 10 reunion to double-team Zoliack, leaving viewers to believe that they’d reconciled as friends.

Moore took a hiatus from the show for one season. She made a cameo in season 11 as a guest at Cynthia Bailey’s celebration for her new brand partnership with Seagrams and ignored Leakes throughout the event, refusing to speak to her.

Moore was visibly pregnant at the event and Leakes made a comment about Moore looking as if she were to “give birth to a buffalo.” When Moore was made aware of the remark, she was offended. The two had already battled it out over social media for months leading up to them seeing one another at the event.

The feud between the two doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon. While Leakes has spoken publicly about extending olive branches to Moore – Moore has made it known that she is not moved by Leakes and finds her disingenuous.

Previews for upcoming episodes show Leakes motioning to spit in Moore’s direction. The two promise to go toe-to-toe at the upcoming reunion special for season 12.