NeNe Leakes

NeNe Leakes was married to Gregg Leakes from 1997 until their divorce was finalized in 2011. They reunited, became engaged in January 2013, and remarried on June 22, 2013. Their wedding planning and ceremony were featured in the Bravo spin-off I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding.

Leakes has two sons, Bryson Bryant and Brentt Leakes, and a granddaughter named Bri'Asia Bryant. Gregg Leakes died from colon cancer on September 1, 2021, at the age of 66.

Leakes first appeared on The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2008 as an original cast member. She remained a main cast member for the first seven seasons, returned in a supporting role for the eighth season, and later came back as a full-time cast member for seasons 10 through 12.

Her time on the series established her as one of the franchise's most recognizable personalities. In 2020, she announced that she would not return for the show's thirteenth season. She later appeared in the television projects College Hill: Celebrity Edition, Baddies East, Baddies Caribbean, and Outrageous Love with Nene Leakes.

Leakes moved into scripted television with a recurring role as synchronized-swim coach Roz Washington on Glee. She also played secretary Rocky Rhoades as a series regular on the NBC sitcom The New Normal until its cancellation in 2013.

Her screen credits include the films Uncle Drew, How High 2, Ride or Die, and Hunting Housewives. She played Angel in First Wives Club, appeared in Dynasty, and later took roles in The Upshaws and Clean Slate.

Leakes competed on the eleventh season of NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice and appeared on season 18 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Paired with professional dancer Tony Dovolani, she was eliminated in week seven and finished in seventh place.

She made her Broadway debut as Madame in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella in 2014. In 2015, she played Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago. She also performed as the Mistress of Sensuality in the Las Vegas production Cirque du Soleil: Zumanity and served as a panelist on ABC's To Tell the Truth.

After the first season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Leakes co-wrote Never Make the Same Mistake Twice with Denene Millner. The book discusses her experiences with love and life.

Leakes founded the production company NeNe Leakes Entertainment, which produced I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding alongside True Entertainment. She launched the Nene Leakes Collection through the Home Shopping Network in 2014, opened SWAGG boutiques in several cities, and began a one-woman comedy tour titled So Nasty, So Rude in 2016.