Season 11 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was a tense time for NeNe Leakes, 51, as co-stars like Cynthia Bailey, Porsha Williams, Kenya Moore and Kandi Burruss ruffled her feathers. But NeNe will be happy to see one face in the upcoming season, thanks to a new casting choice from Bravo. “Gail ‘Yovanna’ Momplaisir is going to join the cast of RHOA which is starting to filming in early June as a friend,” a source close to RHOA EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. Considering how NeNe stormed off set during the Season 11 reunion, she needed someone to alleviate the tension.
“Everyone, including Nene, felt that Nene really needed someone in her corner and an alliance, so producers heard her and now Gail will be joining the ladies which Nene is really excited about,” our source continues. “The two have been good friends for awhile.” Gail even showed her support at NeNe’s Swagg Boutique opening in Maryland’s MGM National Harbor at the end of May, and they posed for a celebratory photo together [SEEN HERE].
Despite NeNe’s past anger at Cynthia and Kandi, both ladies follow NeNe’s friend, Gail, on Instagram. But that’s not entirely surprising, considering that NeNe seemed to bury the hatchet by inviting Kandi to one of her Swagg Boutique openings, according to what another source close to the cast previously told HollywoodLife. As you recall, Kandi assumed that NeNe was mad at her and Cynthia because they invited Kenya (whom NeNe had beef with) to the launch party of Cynthia’s Seagram’s Peach Bellini. It was a big misunderstanding, as the ladies claimed that Kenya was a last-minute party guest and they therefore couldn’t give NeNe the proper heads up.
The cast is getting quite the shakeup, seeing that Shemari DeVoe is going from being a main cast member in Season 11 to a recurring role in Season 12. “Shemari has been downgraded to a friend status for now, however, producers have made it clear that that can change,” our insider from today also notes. “She’s been trying to get pregnant for awhile now and even may be already, so that could really help swing in her favor.” Shamari has two young sons, Ronald III and Roman Elijah.