BLOOP!
On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, Nene Leakes sued the companies behind the Real Housewives of Atlanta alleging they “fostered and tolerated a hostile and racist work environment,” as per reports from ABCnews.go.
According to the lawsuit filed in Atlanta’s federal court, Linnethia Monique Leakes, a Black woman, “complained to executives about years of racist remarks from fellow housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann, who is white, but that only Leakes suffered consequences.”
ABCnews.go reported a scene from RHOA‘s first season, which aired in 2008, involving the cast planning to attend a barbecue. Kim Z. responded to the idea with “words to the effect of: ‘I don’t want to sit around with NeNe and eat chicken’” which “perpetuated an offensive stereotype about African-Americans,” according to the lawsuit.
Another example provided averred “the suit says in 2012 during the fifth season, Zolciak-Biermann made ‘racially offensive and stereotypical’ comments about the new home of housewife Kandi Burruss, calling her neighborhood a ‘ghetto’ and perpetuating a racial stereotype in an offensive comment about whether Burruss needed a swimming pool.”
The lawsuit also claimed “Zolciak-Biermann used the N-word to refer to Leakes and other of the housewives after a dispute with them, the suit alleges. It also alleges Zolciak-Biermann falsely implied that Leakes used drugs and called her home a ‘roach nest.’”
**RIP to Nene’s late husband, Gregg Leakes, who dressed as a roach to Nene’s exterminator as a clap back to Kim… and apparantly the executives behind the most viewed Housewives franchise.**
Calling ’em out:
The defendants named were NBCUniversal, Bravo, True Entertainment, and Truly Original, executives from the companies and Andy Cohen for fostering “a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated – if not, encouraged.”
Page Six reported, “Joe Habachy, another Leakes attorney, said ‘not a day goes by that NeNe doesn’t wake up with an onslaught of overwhelming emotions as a direct result of these unfortunate and avoidable occurrences.’”
“The suit alleges that the defendants’ actions violate federal employment and anti-discrimination law, and it seeks monetary damages to be determined at trial.”
