NeNe Leakes’ most endearing character trait was arguably her candidness during her tenure as the franchise star of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
Therefore, Leakes believing she should be bigger than Kim Kardashian, or at least on her level, should not surprise fans of the long-running reality TV show. “RHOA” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians aired on Bravo and E!, respectively, which are both owned by NBCUniversal. Leakes still believes that network execs “pushed” Kardashian in ways they did not do for Leakes and, to the contrary, held her back.
Leakes, 55, who starred on “RHOA” from 2008-2020, let her feelings on the snub fly during an interview on the Carlos King podcast, “Reality With the King.”
Leakes felt there were disparities in treatment and promotion of the two stars at NBCUniversal who took pains to “open up every door” for Kim Kardashian while leaving Leakes twisting in the wind.
“I feel like they pushed Kim, and they didn’t push me. … They opened up every door and every opportunity for her.”
Nene Leakes explains why she should be bigger than Kim Kardashian. #RHOA #TheKardashians pic.twitter.com/1X80Mkt9jQ
— SHEA FROM THE BAY (@SheaFromTheBay) August 1, 2023
“They pushed Kim to the front and pushed me to the back, and I don’t think that was by chance. I think that was the way they wanted it to be.”
In elaborating further on the matter, Leakes suggested that higher-ups were more concerned about Kim’s success than hers.
“I just think that they made her more successful. And she was able to get opportunities and walk through doors that they just did not want me to walk through.” It should be noted that King concurs with Leakes’ sentiments that she deserves to be “bigger than Kim Kardashian.”
Leakes also stayed true to her convictions by sticking her daggers into her fellow Bravo reality stars, calling “Real Housewives of Potomac” cast members Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon “starless.” Leakes added that Kenya Moore is “in between,” believes that Porsha Williams has “has star potential,” and thinks that Kandi Burruss (now the longest-tenured star of RHOA) as merely a “supporting star.”
Check out the full interview episodes with Leakes on the “Reality With the King.”
