By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, June 29, 2015
In an exclusive interview with People magazine, NeNe Leakes said she is finally leaving "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" after seven seasons.
The show is set to begin production for its eighth season soon.
Leakes, 47, was the last remaining original "housewife," as she has been apt to remind people, going back to the fall of 2008.
Her sassy, brassy personality propelled her career as she quickly became the best-known person on the show. A former stripper, she has written a book, launched a clothing line, performed on Broadway, appeared both "Celebrity Apprentice" (while Donald Trump was still there) and "Dancing With the Stars" and acted in NBC's "The New Normal" and Fox's "Glee." She divorced and remarried the same person.
She got into arguments with almost everybody on the show at some point, fueling the show's popularity. But her impatience with dealing with the other women on the show was increasingly apparent as the seasons wore on. She often said she didn't want to deal with the stupid drama while often placing herself front and center fermenting said drama.
"This was definitely a hard decision for me," Leakes told People. "Me and my husband [Gregg Leakes] have been going back and forth on it for weeks now. But my contract is up and I just think this is the right time. This is my opportunity to spread my wings and do different things."
Her decision to leave makes it imperative for the "Real Housewives" producers to seek new blood. Her departure also might save Claudia Jordan, who has been grappling with rumors she might be leaving the show after just one season or demoted to part-time status. (Reality is the producers won't be making a final decision until after the cameras begin rolling next month.)
The show remains Bravo's most popular "Real Housewives" franchise, even though ratings fell off season seven after peaking season six. Season eight will return this fall.
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