Former reality star NeNe Leakes has sued Bravo and NBCUniversal, alleging that her bosses there turned a blind eye to the racism and hostility she faced from castmate Kim Zolciak-Biermann for years on the set of “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
Leakes, 54, named the network, executive producer Andy Cohen and the production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original in her lawsuit, filed Wednesday and obtained by the Daily News. Zolciak-Biermann was not named.
“NBC, Bravo and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not, encouraged,” the lawsuit reads.
“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. Instead, NBC, Bravo and True forced her out of the ‘house she built,’ denying her a regular role.”
Leakes claims that she was forced off the show in 2020 before its 13th season, and that Zolciak-Biermann, who is white, was rewarded with her own spinoff, “Don’t Be Tardy,” after years of harassment. Both cast members have actually had spinoff shows on Bravo, with Zolciak-Biermann’s “Don’t Be Tardy” premiering in 2012, and Leakes’ “I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding” premiering in 2013.
According to Leakes, Zolciak-Biermann used the N-word to refer to her and other Black housewives, as well as other racial stereotypes, including calling a neighborhood a “ghetto” and accusing Leakes of using drugs in her “roach nest” of a home.
“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’ lawyer, David deRubertis, said in a statement to The News.
Leakes starred in “Real Housewives of Atlanta” from 2008, when it debuted, through its seventh season, appeared part-time in its eighth and then returned to full-time for seasons 10 through 12.
A Bravo spokesperson for “Real Housewives of Atlanta” declined to comment when reached by the Daily News Thursday.
Leakes has accused the studios and networks of violating federal employment and anti-discrimination law and is seeking financial compensation.
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