Atlanta reality star and actress NeNe Leakes said her son Brentt is recuperating from a stroke and congestive heart failure.

In her Instagram stories, the former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast mate said her 23-year-old son, who was hospitalized earlier this month, is “struggling with speaking” but has “shown some improvement and we’re really happy and blessed for that.”

She went public after TMZ broke the news Monday.

“This is not the way I wanted it to come out. We wanted to be able to talk about it ourselves when Brentt was in a better place,” Leakes said. “So, here I am because I would rather the correct thing be out there than something that’s not correct.”

She said her son doesn’t drink or do drugs and doctors have been doing tests to find out why this happened.

Brentt first showed up on TV with his mother at age 9 in 2008 on “Real Housewives” and would appear periodically in his teen years. He has been helping run Leakes’ The Linnethia Lounge in Duluth but she said she is considering selling it.

Leakes’ husband Gregg died last year of cancer. She also has another son named Bryson.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Ryoji Ikeda's "data-verse 1/2/3," as seen at the Copenhagen Contemporary in 2023, comes to the High Museum of Art March 7.
Photo courtesy of High Museum of Art / David Stjernholm

Credit: David Stjernholm

Featured

State senators Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, and RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, fist bump at the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta on Crossover Day, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com