Many fans believe that "Real Housewives of Atlanta" season 8 is not the same without the legendary NeNe Leakes, who opted against returning to the reality show. Fans miss the star and want to see her on the show again but Leakes isn't up for a comeback.
During an interview with The View, the reality star opened up on her exit and revealed the reason behind her leaving the show. "I felt like season 7 was really hard. I felt like there [were] times I felt really ganged up on," she explained (via Reality Tea).
"I can handle myself. It's not cool, it's not fair for everybody to come at you at once and everybody trying to make you appear to be something that you're not," she went on to say, adding that a cameo for "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" season 8 may or may not happen.
Although she made it clear that she may have said her last goodbye to the show, she never forgets to acknowledge what the show has done for her career. "The platform has been amazing. It's opened up many doors and opportunities for me, as you can see," Leakes said.
Indeed, the star is very busy with Broadway at the moment. She currently stars in "Chicago" as Matron "Mama" Morton and she is in New York rehearsing for the performances, which run from Nov. 23 to Dec. 20.
When Leakes first announced she isn't returning for "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" season 8 back in June, media outlets were worried a big chunk of the audience will no longer tune in. But for series star Kenya Moore, this isn't true at all.
"We opened [this season] to 3.7 million viewers, so clearly we're doing just fine without her," she told People magazine. Moore recognizes how much of a presence Leakes was but she insists that things have changed and that "there might just be a new queen as a ruler now."
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" season 8 airs every Sunday on Bravo.
