NeNe Leakes quits! No, you’re not being punked! NeNe is not returning for season 8 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta!

Now that I’m done picking my jaw up off the floor… NeNe explains why she’s done with the show after seven seasons. She exclusively shared with People magazine, “This was definitely a hard decision for me. Me and my husband have been going back and forth on it for weeks now. But my contract is up and I just think this is the right time. This is my opportunity to spread my wings and do different things.”



She is feeling good about her decision and says she won’t miss the negativity of the show that made her famous. “I feel a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.”

Don’t fret, fans of NeNe, you’ll still get a dose of your girl on your TV screen (and not just on her new roadtrip show with Kim Zolciak). She’s got something big in the fire. “I’m actually going to be doing a new primetime television show with a big legend. All of my fans will get to see me be really happy, witty and funny and tell all of those one liners that I always have said on Housewives.”

NeNe says that she’s leaving room for others to shine. Get your twirl on, Kenya!! “I think some of the girls will be happy. They always felt like I was the star, and they were never able to really shine with me there, so here’s their opportunity to shine.”

She is leaving her options open as far as popping in to make appearances on the show in the future. “I’ll probably pop up and play with those girls every now and then.”

First Brandi, now NeNe! Who’s next???!

We love @NeNeLeakes & she is always welcome back to the house she helped build! She's a Real Housewife forever!! — Andy Cohen (@Andy) June 30, 2015

This is so hard for me to type! I cry as I do so! After seven seasons I have decided not to return to #RHOA… http://t.co/BDqiPwmNM2 — NeNe Leakes (@NeNeLeakes) June 30, 2015

TELL US – ARE YOU SHOCKED??! WILL YOU MISS NENE? WHO DO YOU THINK WILL “SHINE” THIS SEASON?



Photo Credit: bRAVO TV