‘Sign the Petitions When You See Them’: Nene Leakes Seemingly Hints at a Boycott of the ‘Housewives’ Franchise and Her Fans Are Here For It

Nene Leakes may have exited “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” but fans haven’t heard that last of her when it comes to the popular show just yet. 

Nene Leakes Photo @neneleakes/Instagram

On Monday, Dec. 21, the 53-year-old tweeted out a post that seemingly called for the show’s boycott. “Y’all ready to start this boycott yet? What has happened behind the scenes is WRONG!” NeNe wrote. “While others were being promoted, BLCK WOMEN who created shows, created genres, built franchise and built networks were being DEMOTED…TURN OFF YOUR TV’S.”

She later tweeted again, “Sign the petitions when you see them, repost the boycott flyers when you see them, turn off your TVs.”

Several franchise fans backed up Nene in sharing their displeasures with the show, including some behaviors of host Andy Cohen. One Twitter user wrote, “Notice how Andy tried to downplay Monique husband finances?” They added, “Andy was so surprised when Monique said it was a lil check. He do black women dirty.”

The comment was in reference to a statement Monique Samuels made during part two of the season-five reunion of the “Real Housewives of Potomac,” in which Monique stated that her residuals from the show were nothing compared to what her husband and former professional football player Chris Samuels brings home. Andy, seemingly dubious of Monique’s claims, attempted to diminish Chris’s financial status. 

Another user wrote, “I also started feeling a way when he kept someone that openly and continuously votes against his interests (RAMONA) just for ratings. That was quick reminder that he’s a white man before a gay man. I’m not surprised to see any of this.”

https://twitter.com/icarmyn/status/1341039307818225665?s=20

Meanwhile, other people tried to encourage Nene to move past the drama she faced during her tenure with the network, including one person who wrote, “Move forward that’s your past now. Be bigger Better than your previous employment, success is the best revenge. “They continued, “Imagine if you get a pilot on the Oprah network and it flies off the handles. The least you will think about is Andy and his network.” 

In September 2020, Nene announced during a video posted to her YouTube channel that she would not be returning to the hit show after being on the series since it debuted in 2008. At the time, the actress said, “I have been on an extremely, extremely, long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation. There has been a lot of emotions flying from both sides. It has been hard, and I have made the very hard and difficult decision to not be a part of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 13.”

She added, “I’m just so happy that I can say that I was a part of a genre that opened up doors for Black ensemble reality shows to step up and be a part of what we all now love so much — reality TV.”

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