After being a key member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta for almost its entire run on Bravo, NeNe Leakes has decided not to return since Season 13.
And NeNe had been on the show for so long that viewers saw her personal life closely.
Highlights
- NeNe learned that the man she had always thought was her father, Curtis, was not her biological dad. She then discovered that her real father was Curtis’s close friend.
- Curtis admitted that he had been involved with NeNe’s mother, which deeply hurt NeNe’s biological father.
- NeNe opened up, explaining that her mother didn’t raise her and her father never acknowledged her.
While the franchise experienced its ups and downs with numerous cast exits and changes, even former RHOA executive producer Carlos King believes that Season 16 could be one of its best yet.
We can’t forget NeNe and her turbulent family relationships, which have played a key part in her journey on the show.
NeNe Leakes’ Journey To Discovering Her Biological Father And The Emotional Impact It Had on Her Family
In Season 1 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, NeNe discovered that Curtis, the man she had grown up believing to be her father, was not her biological father.
She later found out that her real father was a close friend of Curtis, which turned her family’s world upside down.
She has never posted pictures of her biological father or other dad on Instagram. Instead, her Father’s Day posts always focus on her husband, Gregg Leakes.
NeNe shared on Watch What Happens Live that her search for her biological father, though not leading to a relationship, deeply hurt Curtis.
From seasons 1 to 3, she unravels the truth about her biological father and the man she had thought was her father all her life.
NeNe explained that her sister’s father came into her mother’s life after NeNe and her brother had moved to Athens.
Her biological father even appeared on the show, and her son Bryson resembled him closely.
Curtis had revealed that he had been involved with NeNe’s mother, which caused great pain to NeNe’s real father.
NeNe explained that her father never fully recovered from the hurt caused by that revelation.
NeNe Leakes Opens Up About Her Painful Past and Abandonment by Her Mother on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
When Dr. Gardere returned to discuss what had happened earlier as NeNe walked out of a “friend-ter-vention”, he told NeNe that he knew about her struggles with abandonment and reminded her that her pain could give her strength.
NeNe opened up, explaining that her mother didn’t raise her and her father never acknowledged her.
She expressed the pain of being lied to, cheated on, and being in abusive relationships.
As NeNe grew more emotional, the other women tried to comfort her.
Cynthia Bailey, who had fallen out with NeNe earlier in the season, told her she was blessed and talented and had made it despite her hardships.
Kenya Moore also shared that they had more in common than NeNe might realize.
However, NeNe stood up, clearly distressed, and was helped offstage by Dr. Gardere and several women, still crying.
So, backstage, Andy Cohen spoke with NeNe’s husband, Gregg, about NeNe’s relationship with her mother.
Gregg explained that NeNe’s mom had five children at a young age and struggled to care for them all.
She sent NeNe and her brother to Athens to be raised by their aunt while she took care of the other three children.
NeNe has always wondered why she was one of the children sent away, which has bothered her throughout her life.
Additional Information
- Before joining The Real Housewives of Atlanta, NeNe Leakes had small roles in TV shows like The Parkers after meeting casting director Robi Reed-Humes.
- In 2003, she had a minor part as a stripper in The Fighting Temptations, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé, though her scenes were ultimately cut from the final movie.
- After the first season, she co-wrote a book called Never Make The Same Mistake Twice with Denene Millner.
