It’s been weeks since Nene Leakes’ friendship with Cynthia Bailey imploded, and after Sunday night’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” finale questions remain about whether the two can ever get back on track.
Bailey addressed the issue when she visited “Strahan and Sara” Monday afternoon and discussed her fallout with Leakes.
The problems began when Bailey failed to give her pal a heads-up that Leakes’ foe Kenya Moore might attend the model’s Seagram’s Escapes peach bellini launch party, which was taped in October 2018. Bailey and Leakes had an emotional sit-down during the finale, where the former ultimately apologized and said she wanted to make things right.
However, by the time the season 11 reunion filmed in March, Leakes disclosed that she and Bailey were no longer friends.
“I don’t have no hate in my heart for Cynthia. We are co-workers from this day forward,” she said after accusing her ex-friend of being “sneaky” and “underhanded”. “I don’t have any reason to not speak to her, I’m happy to speak to her. But anything else further than that, no.”
The finale appeared to show that Bailey purposely did not tell Leakes that Moore was going to arrive, something Bailey cleared up with Kandi Burruss on the latter’s YouTube series “Speak On It.”
Asked if she and Leakes will ever be able to get back to the place they used to be, Bailey didn’t say it was completely off the table.
“I will always have love for her and I never say never,” she says. “But it ain’t gon’ be next week!
“Sometimes friendships need a break,” Bailey continues. “And I feel like looking back on everything and knowing the kind of person that I am and the friend that I’ve been to her, this friendship just isn’t healthy for me at this point.”
The comment struck a chord with viewers who weighed in online.
“I love what Cynthia said at the very end. Sometimes, when the friendship gets overbearing, it’s best to give it a break and mayyyybe things will work out for the people involved. I’m glad Cynthia realized that the break was due.”
“I know Cynthia so relieved…she dont have pacify Nene! Whoooo….im relieved for you!!”
“I’m glad she realizes it. Nene is always shading her. I don’t ever want a friend who calls me weak behind my back. Good for you Cynthia! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽”
But while Bailey is moving on from the fizzled-out friendship, Leakes explained on Instagram Sunday that the falling-out “broke me.”
“YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS BROKE ME! I will NEVER be ok! NEVER! So much has happened that you don’t get to see! Thank God they showed this and gave me a little rope!” she said in a since-deleted post about the finale. “I’m broken! My sisterhood was REAL.”
