NeNe Leakes Was ‘Nervous’ For ‘Real Housewives’ Return

NeNe Leakes returned to the “Real Housewives” franchise in August 2026 after six years away. During the episode, the veteran reality TV star, who is arguably known for putting the beloved franchise on the map, spoke with a producer about coming back to the series and admitted to being a bit wary.

NeNe Leakes’ return comes several years after the 58-year-old sued Bravo, NBCUniversal, and the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” production companies, alleging racism and other forms of discrimination. Before the legal battle, Leakes had a nasty fallout with “Housewives” executive producer Andy Cohen.

In episode 4 of Bravo’s “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip,” Leakes made her highly anticipated return and told producers she was anxious about filming with the cast.

“My stomach was kind of hurting a little bit, kind of, you know, like, nervous hurt,” she said. “I don’t know how they are, you know. I just hope they’re nice to me.”

When the producer asked what would happen if the ladies weren’t nice to her, Leakes said she’d clap back in true “Housewives” fashion.

The ‘RHUGT’ Cast Members Were Emotional Seeing NeNe Leakes

The “Ultimate Girls Trip” cast members were ecstatic after Leakes surprised them at a drag brunch in Atlanta.

“Real Housewives of New York” alum Luann de Lesseps likened Leakes’ return to seeing “your long-lost family, and you’re back together again,” while “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice said she was “so happy” to see Leakes.

“I’m so happy Nene’s here. And, I don’t know, I feel like we have, like, this sisterhood, like no competition or anything like that. We always, like, respected each other,” Giudice said.

Kyle Richards ‘Missed’ Leakes

And the love didn’t stop there. “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” OG Kyle Richards opened up about her special bond with Leakes during her confessional.

“Nene was the first Housewife of any of the franchises that I became friends with. Nene and I have had lunches, dinners, we’ve gossiped, shared private things with each other. We just always had each other’s back. I’ve missed her,” she said.

“Real Housewives of Potomac” star Gizelle Bryant, however, had a bone to pick with Leakes after learning about a comment the Georgia native made about her years before.

“I have always given Nene her flowers, but she has said some things about me,” Bryant said before cameras showed her asking Leakes why she asked one of their franchise peers to “beat me up.”

Leakes didn’t back down, though, telling Bryant that she was “talking sh-t” and that there were “no hard feelings.”

NeNe Leakes Was Happy To Be Gone

As the episode continued, Leakes spoke with the principal cast of “Ultimate Girls Trip” about how she first felt after leaving the series in her rearview.

“In the beginning I was happy to be gone, honestly, ’cause it was just a heavy time,” she said. “At first, you feel a little bit like, ‘I mean, they’re shooting without me? Like, how the h-ll does that go?’ … You feel really weird. In a weird, way, we’re like all sisters, right? I’m still very connected to these girls. But, at first, it does take some time to set in.”

Leakes Ready To ‘Move Forward’ With Bravo

While Leakes spent 11 seasons as an “RHOA” OG, she departed the series after season 12 in 2020. Years later, she sued the network and Cohen, claiming she faced discrimination on set.

“NBC, Bravo and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not, encouraged,” the suit read. “As the Black Lives Matter movement swept our nation, Mrs. Leakes — Bravo’s historically most successful Black female talent — should have been embraced by NBC, Bravo, and True.”

Following her suit, Leakes and NBC settled out of court, but that hasn’t brought her any closer to her old pal, Cohen.

“I am the kind of person that, good or bad, time heals,” Leakes said. “You don’t have to be besties or anything like that, but I move forward. I’m not into holding negative energy.”