NeNe Leakes has been offered a contract for Season 13 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but we hear she’s not yet ready to sign on the dotted line. It all comes down to the fact that “there is a larger conversation happening with other things potentially in development,” a source close to the reality TV star tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “So, she has yet to make a decision regarding the next season of RHOA.”
A report from earlier this week claimed that NeNe, who’s been with the show since it debuted in 2008, was actually fired from the series following the Season 12 reunion, but her manager quickly squashed that allegation with the following statement: “It is absolutely not true that Nene has been fired from RHOA. Furthermore, it was made abundantly clear prior that she will always be welcome on the series as long as she wants to be.”
And NeNe’s decision to stay or go will have nothing to do with who’s on the cast at that time. Our source explained, “This is a job for NeNe and she can work with anyone on the current cast or whoever will be joining. Her decision [to stay or leave] has nothing to do with who’s in and who’s out.”
“She was offered a contract, so it’s her choice at this point if she wants to take it,” our source continued. “She’s weighing all options and it’s going to come down to the right deal and money. NeNe just wants a fair deal for her and to get what she feels she’s worth. Yes it’s about money, but it’s also about what direction she wants her career to go in right now because she is discussing other things. These projects wouldn’t prevent her from doing Housewives, though.”
“NeNe knows she helps make the show what it is. It’s not about who is or isn’t on the show for her. She can work with anyone. Porsha [Williams] and Marlo [Hampton] are the only people she has actually spoken to since the reunion. Though she’s not friends with most of them, it’s a job for her and it doesn’t bother her who is or isn’t coming back. It’s not influencing her decision whatsoever. She does the show because she likes the platform it provides her, but she’s also talking about a few other projects so she wants to take her time deciding what’s best. It’ll most likely come down to the financial negotiation working in her favor, but that’s the hold up,” our source concluded.
NeNe starred on RHOA full-time between Seasons 1-7. She then left the series, and appeared only as a guest during Season 8. After a complete absence in Season 9, NeNe returned full-time for Season 10 and has been a part of the cast ever since.