On Wednesday, NeNe Leakes, a former star of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” filed a lawsuit against the show’s producers, alleging that they cultivated and accepted a hostile and racist work environment.
According to the lawsuit, Leakes, who is Black, made complaints to executives about years of racist remarks made by fellow housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann, who is white, but only Leakes faced consequences.
NBCUniversal, Bravo, True Entertainment and Truly Original, executives from the companies, and “Housewives” executive producer Andy Cohen are named as defendants, but not Zolciak-Biermann.
“NBC, Bravo and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated – if not, encouraged,” the suit says.
Between 2008 and 2020, Leakes, 54, a Television personality whose legal name is Linnethia Monique Leakes, was one of the pivotal stars of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
According to the report, the cast was planning on attending a barbecue in the first season, which aired in 2008, and housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann decided to respond with words to the effect of: “I don’t want to sit around with NeNe and eat chicken.'” The statement “perpetuated an offensive stereotype about African-Americans,” according to the lawsuit.
An offensive racial stereotype was perpetuated in an offensive comment about whether Kandi Burruss needed a swimming pool by Zolciak-Biermann in 2012 during the fifth season, the suit claims.
In the same year, after a disagreement with Leakes and other housewives, Zolciak-Biermann allegedly used the N-word to refer to them. That she called Leakes’ home a “roach nest” and that she falsely implied she did drugs.
It claims that after Leakes complained to the show’s executives, they “did not terminate their relationship with Zolciak-Biermann, nor take any other meaningful action to stop her racially offensive behavior,” and even rewarded her with her own spinoff show.
“From the day the series began filming, NeNe was the target of systemic racism from co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, which was tolerated by Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen and other executives,” Leakes’ lawyer David deRubertis said in a statement.
The lawsuit claims her racism complaints caused Leakes to be fired from the show in 2020, before its 13th season.
Alleging violations of federal employment and anti-discrimination laws, the suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.
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