Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey has revealed that the cast has been shooting the show without NeNe Leakes. In an interview with E! Just the Sip podcast, Cynthia said that the upcoming 13th season will be "entertaining" but "different" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the rumors that NeNe Leakes won't be returning to the show, she said, “First and foremost, I don’t really have any real answers for you to be honest. All I know is what I read and see on the blogs, too. So I can just tell you I haven’t filmed anything with her or seen her. That’s that."
She continued, “In terms of contract negotiations, it’s not unusual for people to still be negotiating their contract. We’ve been over here filming for about two months now but I’m just saying. It’s not super unusual. However, at the end of the day and I mean this, NeNe and I are where we are now, but for a long time she was a very, very good friend of mine who I loved very much and who I still have love for. I want her to do what is best for her. She was one of the OGs on the show. When you think of Real Housewives of Atlanta, you do think of NeNe. She’s great for the show. I hope they work it out, but that’s between her and the network.”