Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[Faulkner]

 

 

[j swift]

On the face of it, Nene's suit for damages based on a hostile work environment would seem to be undercut by the fact that she has assaulted two co-workers on camera (Kim and the cameraman in her closet) and was not only still able to continue working, but reportedly was the highest paid housewife on Bravo. 

[Cat]

 

I have questions about this suit, not least: Why now?

For weeks there has been speculation that Nene might return to Bravo or Peacock for an OG RHOA reboot. For weeks, her RHOA greatest hits have been trending on Twitter (which might have been some kind of viral marketing campaign to assess fan reaction). Carlos King was interviewed recently saying he still kept in touch with Nene and was hopeful that she and Andy could meet and put bad blood behind them. When she recently guest-hosted The Real, Nene herself said she would be open to a return to RHOA.

So what happened to change her mind? Did Bravo made her a lowball offer? Or is this a longtime suit which is finally ready to kick into gear? I wish I understood the timing better.

Also timing from the perspective of: You were on RHOA (on and off) for well over a decade. You seemed ok with the show at the time. Some people might say you yourself have done things, including getting aggressive with crew members AND allegedly the one person on whom your case depends: Kim Zolciak Gambling-Debts!

I cannot believe Kim Zolciak Gambling-Debts is going to be the lynchpin of this case. She is indeed highly problematic. But where Nene can point to evidence against her on the show, so can Kim (and Bravo) against Nene.

I also have no doubt that Bravo protects racist HWs, has little understanding of its black talent, and uses them for ratings. But, like I said, Nene worked with them for over 10 years. What changed? Did she always feel this way? Also, is she suing the crew? I believe a majority of the RHOA crew under Carlos King's watch were African-American.

Anyhoo, I hope people don't mind me asking these questions. I don't think she is entirely wrong with this lawsuit, but neither is her case air-tight. To say the least. As always with these cases, you need supporting evidence.

I'm also a little sad as I was hoping for her eventual return to the franchise, as selfish as that sounds. Also, I think this kills her career outside of RHOA.

[Antoyne]

I seriously cannot STAND Emily or Gina. They’re getting worse with every season. I still don’t understand how they’ve made it this long.

[Chris B]

I read the article on Straight From the A (https://straightfromthea.com/2022/04/21/exclusive-nene-leakes-lawsuit-breaks-down-years-of-racism-at-bravo-legal-docs/#more-245932) and it makes it clear the lawsuit (which is 97 pages long) is about a lot more than Kim. I believe the Kim stuff is being used in the media to discredit her. We know Bravo has a history of racism, so you can't convince me Nene is the only person lying about it. Now on the subject of Kim, the most shocking thing is that she apparently called someone the N word during season 5 and the entire cast complained to the network and refused to work with Kim. They responded by giving Kim a spin off and doing nothing to reprimand her. That is going to be damning in court, especially since Nene wasn't the only one to complain. 

As for why Nene stayed or why she wants to come back, I get it. Look at the NFL, they players are most Black, but they're mistreated and racism is RAMPANT. Why do they stay? Because of the money and because it's what they love to do. Black people face racism every day in corporate America. If you quit every job where you're mistreated, you're going to end up on the streets. Look at Victoria Rowell. She lost so much money and credibility speaking out about her issues, but was called crazy and blacklisted. Now everybody acknowledges she was telling the truth and we see the issue is MUCH larger than we thought.

I'd be curious to read the entire lawsuit. I have a feeling it is more credible that the media is giving her credit for.

 

[Cat]

You're right. I didn't appreciate just a hard it is for a black woman to speak out in a corporate environment, when this is her one shot, and very few other options are open to her.

The sources I read focused on the frivolous aspects or hard to prove stuff, thereby making Nene look foolish in bringing this suit. I wonder why they didn't do a deep dive into the paperwork like Straight from the A?? Never mind, I know why.

I also didn't hear about Kim using the N word which is shocking but at the same time not surprising. It might also explain Nene's growing resentment over the years, talking about feeling disrespected. I assumed she was referring to the cast, but it now makes sense as part of a larger grievance towards the network. 

Victoria Rowell is a good example. For over a decade she was gaslit as the Crazy Lady, and now we know it wasn't just talk.

[Taoboi]

That there puts a whole new spin on Nene vs Kim during the Season 10 reunion when Nene kept baiting her about how did she get a spinoff. 

 

Hmmm...

 

Meanwhile...

 

[Faulkner]

Tweet from Chris Bassett re: the upcoming Potomac season:

 

[Taoboi]

Boy, bye. 

 

 

[Taoboi]

Well, my tv system wanted to mess up, BUT Tubi was working.

 

So I dived into MELBOURNE SEASON 1.

 

Looking forward to seeing Gina in ALL her glory...

[Antoyne]

Please keep us updated as you do your Melbourne rewatch like me!

[Cat]

RHONJ

Weirdly lacklustre episode. If you want to see how NJ might look without Teresa, there were certain scenes here which felt like a test run. Unfortunately for Bravo, those scenes (including an excruciatingly long sequence recording a terrible song called Lady Drama) harked back to RHODallas's flop trips during its final season.

Interesting to see Budget Coven cosy up to Jennifer and Bill. Reminds me of the time OC Tamra, incredibly, managed to convince Gretchen that they were best buds for an entire season. After getting Gretchen to turn on Alexis and boot her off the show, Gretchen was left with no back-up, and the next season she became Vicki and Tamra's target practice again. This is where Jennifer might be heading, I fear: if the Budgets manage to get rid of Teresa (a big if), Jennifer will be next.

Seaon finale next week: thank goodness.

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Edited April 22, 2022 by Cat

[DemetriKane]

RHOA

Hearing great things from people who saw the premiere. Everything feels fresh... 

[Faulkner]

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[DaytimeFan]

 

 

Yes, Lydia spread a rumour that Bruce was gay, and as Chyka and Bruce's business took them around the world, including doing events in homophobic countries, they were livid.

It's also interesting that Lydia would spread a rumour like that...as if being gay is somehow a flaw, which is inherently itself a homophobic thing to do. I've never warmed to Lydia because I think there's a malevolent streak to her that I've never seen in any of the others, including Pettifleur who was just heinous and self absorbed like a black hole.