NeNe Leakes sure has brought the drama over the years on Real Housewives of Atlanta mainly due to her feuds. She eliminated one of them after making peace with former pal Cynthia Bailey, 52. With rumors swirling that NeNe could be departing the show after season 12, Cynthia tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY about how she would feel if NeNe quit, especially now that they’re in a good place again. “You know what? I think everyone on this show makes the show, but I’ve always given NeNe her props. When people think of the show, a lot of people think of her. I’m never going to take that away from her,” she tells us.
“I want NeNe to do what’s best for her, whatever’s going to make her happy. If staying on the show makes her happy, she should stay. If walking away from the show makes her happy, then she should walk away,” Cynthia continues. NeNe and Cynthia started on RHOA together and Cynthia admits, “NeNe was my first friend on the show.”
Cynthia tells us that “It’s a lot of ups and downs,” during season 11. “For the most part, this is a pretty fun season for me, which I left the reunion thinking it was going to be the worst season of my life.” At the time of the season 11, reunion, NeNe was beyond furious with Cynthia for inviting then-former and now current RHOA cast member Kenya Moore, 49, to a drink launch party at her home. She didn’t give NeNe a warning that her enemy would be showing up and the 52-year-old was furious, believing she’d been betrayed.
On the Feb. 16 episode of RHOA, Cynthia and NeNe finally sat down and ironed out their issues. NeNe made the first move, sending congratulatory hors d’oeuvres for the opening of Cynthia’s newest business, the Bailey Wine Cellar, to which Cynthia sent a thank you note. She then took things a step further, by inviting NeNe to have a glass of wine there so they could talk through their issues. It didn’t go so well at first, as NeNe brought up how Cynthia had called her “toxic” in several interviews following the season 10 reunion.
Cynthia responded, “When you are a friend, you are an amazing friend. When things go left, then you can be very closed, you’re very quick to shut people off, pretty much close people away. When I made that statement, you had said some things, I responded to some things, we both had said a lot. Maybe toxic was a little strong, but I felt like the last time that we were together, I was trying to explain a situation to you and I felt like you were completely closed to hearing it. And then I actually saw you saying things about me that I didn’t like. You have said I was weak and insecure, which is not true.”
Eventually NeNe walked out in tears after the two women couldn’t seem to find enough common ground to end their feud. But then Cynthia decided to take “the high road” and apologized. “I know that I hurt you,” Cynthia said. “I am sorry. I know I have said some things that were not nice to say. Just give me a hug please. NeNe, I’m sorry,” she told her. “And I’m sorry. I really am, I’m sorry. What I don’t want to do is hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you and that’s real, I don’t want to hurt you.” Cynthia continued, “You are that person in my life that I just never saw coming. And life is really too short.” NeNe then responded, “I receive it. And I’m glad you understand how I feel. I do understand how you feel. And I’m glad we had this conversation. I am.”