An opportunity to co-host former talk show ‘The Real’ ended for Nene Leakes shortly after it was presented to her.

‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ hosted a new episode of ‘The Nene Leakes Show,’ which premiered on Wednesday, May 14. One of the episode’s guests was Tamar Braxton, who was unaware that Leakes was in consideration for the show she previously co-hosted. From 2013 to 2022, ‘The Real’ ran for eight seasons on Fox before its cancellation. 

“I was asked to be on ‘The Real’ and this was in the beginning of the process of them casting,” Leakes said around the 33-minute mark of the video below.

“I'm sure it was Tamar and the other girls, but I was asked to be one of the first girls when the show first originally started,” Leakes continued. “I had the contract and I ended up not doing ‘The Real’ and they ended up casting Loni Love.” 

Since Leakes was still a cast member on ‘RHOA,’ she stuck with the show and turned down ‘The Real.’ Leakes even recalled the eventual cast going to dinner to get to know each other. But Leakes’ decision to turn down the show shocked Braxton, who said, “I wish they would’ve told me.” 

“I had a hand in creating the show. That’s why I’m saying I wished they would’ve told me that because I wouldn’t have casted Big Back Cadillac,” she said, shading Love. “We probably would’ve been in our tenth season by now.”

Leakes, who’s an original member of ‘RHOA,’ has been on the hit Bravo series since it began in 2008, although she’s taken occasional hiatuses throughout its sixteen-season run.