We now know that NeNe Leakes is leaving The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but when it comes to the question of why the fan favorite is done with the show that made her famous, there are several conflicting stories floating around.
Early reports indicated that NeNe quit the show due to failed contract negotiations and her desire to pursue other projects (such as her unspecified "business" with Kim Kardashian).
Now, several sources are claiming that NeNe was actually given the axe by Bravo as the result of her diva tendencies.
"[NeNe] was alienating everyone on the show and refused to do so much," one production insider tells Radar Online. "Sometimes she wouldn’t do publicity for the show, and when she did film, she would just storm off."
"They didn’t want to pay her as much since she kept storming off and not saying anything on camera."
The source adds that producers agreed to allow NeNe to claim that she had quit, when in reality, she was "pushed out by Bravo."
NeNe may or may not have been explicitly told to take a hike, but the insider claims that Bravoexecs made her a final offer that they knew she would refuse:
"They told her they were going to pay her half as much and cut her time back," says the source.
The network’s final weeks of negotiating with NeNe were reportedly such a headache for everyone involved that producers are already regretting their decision to sign Leakes on for a spinoff show with Kim Zolciak.
Sigh. How many Howsewife heads will have to roll before these ladies learn that their bosses only like drama that happens on camera?
