‘Real Housewives Of Atlanta’ Casting Drama: Andy Cohen Throws Shade At NeNe Leakes Prior To Praising Her Time On The Show

Andy Cohen isn’t afraid to speak his mind now that Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes is off the show, and his recent comments seem to contrast with his earlier sentiments about the reality star. When asked on Instagram about NeNe’s exit from the show and if he was going to let her “leave the show like that,” Cohen responded by posting “it’s a free country. She wasn’t into it any more! Couldn’t you tell?”

Cohen’s remarks come after he seemingly praised NeNe after it was announced that she would be leaving the show. “We love @NeNeLeakes& she is always welcome back to the house she helped build!” he wrote on his social media account. “She is a Real Housewife forever!”

At the same time, NeNe responded to Cohen’s kind remarks in a post on Instagram, and had nothing but love for the show.

“This is so hard for me to type! I cry as I do so! I am so Greatfeul for all the love and laughs!… Thank you so much to everyone that has watched and supported me over the years on this amazing platform! With lots of thoughts and prayer I’ve decided to step out on faith and not fear. #nomoRHOA4me.”

NeNe announced her departure from the reality show this past Monday. She was the highest earning cast member on the show and was also the only remaining member of the original cast. All of these things made her decision to leave the show a difficult one, but she stated that she just had enough of all the drama.

While NeNe might not ever appear on Real Housewives of Atlanta again, she is getting ready for her upcoming special, NeNe& Kim: The Road to Riches. The special features her and Kim Zolciak as they tell their own story about how they each rose to fame.

NeNe’s exit from the show follows what has been a turbulent time for the Housewives franchise. Along with NeNe leaving, Kim Fields is moving to Georgia, Claudia Jordan has been cut from Atlanta, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is losing both Kim Richards and Brandi Glanville.

Despite the major changes in casting, Cohen assured fans that the show wasn’t dying.

“They are evolving … NYC and OC and BH all getting better and better… The show is about reinvention and new people come in. it’ll be good. it’s like life, evolution …”

The 100th episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta airs July 12 on Bravo.

[Image Courtesy: Bravo]