Gail “Yovanna” Momplaisir, who says she likes to go by ‘Yovanna’, is set to join the upcoming season as a friend to longtime cast member, NeNe Leakes. As we EXCLUSIVELY reported, NeNe is feeling very ostracized from the rest of the cast amidst her season 11 feud with Cynthia Bailey and Kandi Burruss, so she felt she “really needed someone in her corner” while filming season 12. Enter Yovanna, who NeNe has been friends with for quite a bit of time. Yovanna won’t be a full-time cast member, but she’s expected to be listed as a “friend” when the new season airs (filming just recently begun). Here’s more to know about Yovanna.
1. She’s actually appeared on ‘RHOA’ before. Even though this will be Yovanna’s first season listed as part of the cast, she actually made a few appearances on the show during season 11. Her first appearance was in Dec. 2018 when NeNe invited her to the Boobs and Bourbon dinner. She had a chance to dine with pretty much all of the other cast members. However, during her short time with the women, she already began causing some tension when she called Eva Marcille out for “pretending” not to know her, even though they went to college together. Yovanna boasted that she was “that b****” in her college days, so it was impossible that Eva wouldn’t know her, and the other women were definitely taken aback by her cocky attitude!
2. She’s also appeared on other reality shows. Yovanna certainly won’t have trouble getting used to the cameras while filming RHOA — she’s also appeared on Say Yes to the Dress and Bridezillas in the past.
3. She’s married. Little is known about Yovanna’s husband, Rick. The two were married on June 21, 2013, and had singer, Mario, play at their wedding. Yovanna posted a loving tribute to her man on their six year wedding anniversary in 2019, and revealed that they had been together for more than ten years at that point.
4. Where did she go to college? Yovanna attended Clark Atlanta University.
5. She may be friends with some of NeNe’s enemies. Even though Yovanna is coming onto the show as an ally for NeNe, it doesn’t seem like she has any full-on beef with Kandi and Cynthia herself — they even follow her on Instagram!