NeNe Leakes has dropped a legal bombshell.
On Wednesday, the former Real Housewives of Atlanta star filed a lawsuit in federal court that names Andy Cohen, NBCUniversal and show production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original as defendants.
The lawsuit alleges that Leakes complained on numerous occasions to executives about years of racist remarks from fellow housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann.
And the only punishment ever handed out as a result was directed at Leakes herself for bringing up these incident.
“NBC, Bravo and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated – if not, encouraged,” the documents state.
Zolciak-Biermann, with whom NeNe has often publicly feuded, is not named in the lawsuit.
She plays a major role in Leakes’ accusations, however.
For example…
Leakes claims that executives "did not terminate their relationship with Zolciak-Biermann, nor take any other meaningful action to put an end to her racially-offensive behavior," even after Kim’s alleged use of the N-Word.
Instead, Bravo gave Kim and her husband a spinoff, referencing Zolciak-Biermann’s Don’t Be Tardy, which aired on the network for eight seasons.
On Season 1 of the series, which aired in 2008, Leakes says cast was planning to attend a barbecue… and Zolciak-Biermann responded to the idea with “words to the effect of: ‘I don’t want to sit around with NeNe and eat chicken.’”
The lawsuit says the statement “perpetuated an offensive stereotype about African-Americans."
Elsewhere in the lawsuit, NeNe says in 2012 (during Season 5), Zolciak-Biermann made “racially offensive and stereotypical” remarks about the new home of housewife Kandi Burruss, referring to her neighborhood a “ghetto."
That same year, the suit says, Zolciak-Biermann used the N-word when talking about Leakes and other castmates after an argument with them.
The papers also allege Zolciak-Biermann falsely implied that Leakes used drugs and called her home a “roach nest.”
(In 2018, a woman who says she was in a relationship with Kim also slammed her as homophobic and racist.)
"From the day the series began filming, NeNe was the target of systemic racism from co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, which was tolerated by Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen and other executives," Leakes’ attorney, David deRubertis, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Leakes, meanwhile, has also accused producers of trying to stop her from being vocal about the Black Lives Matter movement, which rose to national prominence just as she was negotiating contract ahead of The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 13.
"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," the complaint reads.
"Instead, NBC, Bravo, and True forced her out of the ‘house she built,’ denying her a regular role."
Joe Habachy, another Leakes’ lawyer, said via email that “not a day goes by that NeNe doesn’t wake up with an onslaught of overwhelming emotions as a direct result of these unfortunate and avoidable occurrences.”
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the defendants’ actions violate federal employment and anti-discrimination law.
It seeks monetary damages to be determined at trial.
Leakes starred on The Real Housewives of Atlanta from its opening season in 2008 through Season 7.
She was a part-time costar for the show’s eighth season before returning to full-time status in seasons 10 through 12, finally exiting the program after its 12th season in 2020.
During her time with Bravo, she also starred in a spinoff I Dream of Nene: The Wedding, which featured the days leading up to her second wedding to husband Gregg Leakes — who passed away in September — in 2013.
Neither anyone associated wiith Bravo nor Kim Zolciak-Biermann has yet responded to these explosive allegations.