NeNe Leakes has announced that she will not be returning for the upcoming season of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Nene, who was an original cast member of RHOA, took a break from the show during seasons eight and nine but returned for seasons 10-12. The news of Nene leaving the series comes just a few months after rumors circulated that she had been fired by Bravo, which she cleared up at the time by explaining that they were simply “in negotiations.” Although her statement was backed up by Bravo, it was what first got fans speculating that Nene might choose to leave the cast.
She shared her decision in a video posted to her YouTube page on Thursday.
“I have been on an extremely, extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation. There’s been a lot of emotion flying from both sides. It has been hard, and I have made the very hard and difficult decision to not be a part of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ Season 13. It wasn’t an easy decision for me. It was hard.”
Much of the video was spent with Nene reminiscing on her time on the popular reality television series and thanking her fans, her team, and her castmates.
“I’m just so happy that I can say that I was a part of a genre that opened up doors for black ensemble reality shows to step up and be a part of what we all now love so much—reality tv.”
A few months ago, I started watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta from the very beginning (worth doing for the 2008 fashions ALONE), and from her first moment on screen Nene stole the spotlight. It’s impossible to truly measure the cultural impact of the woman responsible for a seemingly infinite number of memes, reaction gifs, and chaotic reality television show moments. But regardless of whether you were a fan of Nene’s antics, it’s clear her absence will be felt by viewers in season 13 and beyond. [Page Six]
Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas are dating, something you may have noticed, you know, from the bordering-on-absurd number of paparazzi photos of the couple that have emerged since they began sheltering in place together back in March. A source tells Us Weekly that the actors are spending time together in Ireland right now as Affleck works on a new movie that he wrote with Matt Damon, claiming “Ben and Ana basically live together and Ben is very into Ana and so sweet to her.”Well, good for Ben and Ana.
For any other celebrity couple, this might be news, but after enough definitely-not-staged photos of them walking the dogs and drinking coffee together (it’s no secret Ben is a fiend for Dunkin Donuts), I don’t think any of us are surprised to learn the pair is cohabitating. Duh. [Us Weekly]