Originally posted Monday, April 22, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
NeNe Leakes is passive aggressive. The ladies pointed that out during part two of the reunion. But she refuses to admit it.
She was petulant and angry for much of this reunion show, based in part because her marriage yet again is falling apart and she is taking it out on the ladies. Indeed, she is picking fights with people instead of seeking support. For various reasons, NeNe has had a falling out with Eva, with Tonya and worst of all, with her former bestie Cynthia Bailey.
“I’m the one everyone wants to fire at!” NeNe said, full of spitfire and spite. “I got everyone in a f***in’ uproar. I’m the b****!”
The big issues from the hour:
The closet
NeNe went after the boss Andy Cohen for "bantering me back and forth about" when she grabbed a cameraman to keep him from entering her messy closet.
She in the past accused Porsha Williams of being stupid enough to have any physical altercations land on camera. NeNe had one with Kim Zolciak many years ago that the cameras missed. But this particular one this season was not only on camera but was because of the cameras. And she didn't find this hypocritical at all.
Oddly, NeNe was not bothered by getting physical with the camera man. She was more perturbed by the cursing, she said.
NeNe downplayed what happened saying she just tore the camera man’s T-shirt. But Porsha noted that she also attacked a producer, who got “choked up, scratched up, went to the hospital.”
She acted like she had no idea he had ended up in the hospital. Kandi said his tooth got knocked out. NeNe thought it was just "cracked."
She eventually acceded that "I had no right to touch him."
Another fan asked if NeNe should be fired for getting physical, as some have called out Porsha in the past. Eva said no. “She was disrespected in her own home” and as a result, “anything is fair game.”
Porsha was shocked how NeNe showed so little remorse.
No doubt she and Kandi precipitated the incident. After a very emotional breakdown by NeNe, many of the women had gathered in her bedroom. Kandi and Porsha were trying to lighten the mood by going into the closet. Kandi had recalled NeNe bragging about her closet to her (captured on camera.)
They thought NeNe’s protestations were not all that serious either. But they were.
Porsha claimed NeNe grabbed her belt and took it off after NeNe had grabbed the cameraman. “How did the belt come off?” she said. NeNe denied doing it. There is no camera footage proving one way or another.
Eva’s financial issues
It's hard to say anything was clarified during the reunion. We still don't know if Eva is having financial issues or not. Some bridesmaids who had a falling out with Eva told Marlo Hampton that Eva was hard up. Eva denied it. She also said she made some money via Instagram posts to help pay for her $240,000 wedding. Eva also claimed she was fine with her bridesmaids and didn't specify why they were so mad at her in the first place.
The Kenya invite
The big takeaway here is that NeNe took what seemed like a minor issue and turned it into a major betrayal.
For whatever reason, NeNe is not a fan of Kenya Moore but has been jealous that Cynthia was friends with her. Cynthia tried to hide the fact Kenya was coming to her party from NeNe. In fact, NeNe had no idea she was coming.
Cynthia tried to have it both ways. She had clearly invited Kenya. Kenya said she wasn’t sure she was coming. So Cynthia said she was surprised when Kenya actually showed up. But she tried to cover all that up from NeNe. Her explanations were confusing and convoluted.
When NeNe saw all that footage, she truly felt betrayed.
As Eva said, “That looks shady as hell.”
Cynthia’s defensiveness during the reunion did not help matters but you can understand her level of exasperation over NeNe’s behavior.
Cynthia: “If we fall out over this petty-*ss s***, let’s fall out over this.”
Cynthia’s conclusion about NeNe: “She throws people away.”
She pointed out that NeNe may be friends with Marlo Hampton now but they were not friends at some point. (And just look at NeNe and her husband Gregg. They divorced and remarried and are now in trouble again.) In fact, Cynthia and NeNe had a falling out before years earlier but repaired it.
Cynthia’s anger was tangible. “I couldn’t get out the door fast enough,” she said.
Marlo said that was mean and thought Cynthia would be the “bigger person.”
More defensiveness from Cynthia: “I’m always the bigger person! When is she going to be the bigger person?”
Cynthia was peeved by some of NeNe’s comments during the final episode, calling her “weak” and not a friend.
The question: can they repair the friendship yet again? Or is there too much scar tissue?
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