NeNe Leakes: "Celebrity Apprentice" Finale

NeNe Leakes attends "The Celebrity Apprentice" Season 4 Finale at Trump SoHo on May 22, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images North America

NeNe Leakes Spotted Out In West Hollywood

Nene Leakes may have left Celebrity Apprentice in dramatic fashion on Sunday night’s show, but she showed no signs of hostility when she was snapped in West Hollywood just hours later.

The ever-dramatic Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member looked exceedingly chipper as the paps caught her chatting on the phone while out shopping West Hollywood.

Credit: Celebuzz (Wes Ferguson)

NeNe: Celebrity Apprentice Was 'Toxic' for Me

NeNe Leakes never had second thoughts about quitting Celebrity Apprentice. It all just got to be too much, she says.

"I don't regret it. I felt very good about it. I always do what my gut tells me to do," the Real Housewives of Atlanta star says in an interview airing Wednesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She adds: "I'm a grown woman, and nobody makes decisions for me. I make my own decisions. It was a toxic situation for me."

Particularly poisonous, of course, was her feud with Star Jones. In an episode two weeks ago, Leakes unloaded on Jones in front of a client, then walked off the show. She doesn't regret that either, but admits it didn't need to get that ugly.

"I needed to get it out," she says. "I wish I could have maybe had a different delivery, maybe better word choices, but I'm OK with it. I felt she deserved it. I know everybody in Hollywood knows I'm telling the truth [about Jones]."

Of course, things evened out this past week, when Donald Trump fired Jones. "When I said on the show yesterday that Star got fired, there were applauses in the audience," says DeGeneres. "People were thrilled that Star got fired."

To which Leakes replies: "Yeah, let's clap about it."

Credit: PEOPLE (Tim Nudd)

Friends Applaud NeNe For Quitting 'Apprentice'

With celebrities, respected journalists and interest groups lobbing the racist label at Donald Trump, friends of Nene Leakes tell Rob Shuter of Pop Eater that quitting Celebrity Apprentice in a shocking -- and low-rated -- episode on Sunday was a smart, principled move.

"Everything will ultimately work out for NeNe," a friend of the Real Housewives of Atlanta star tells him. "In the long run she was much better off to quit and walk away than get a job with Donald Trump."

It should be noted that each celebrity is playing to raise money for their charity rather than get a job within Trump's organization. It should also be noted that the Celebrity Apprentice you're seeing on Sundays was taped months ago, before The Donald's now-floundering bid for the White House and string of attacks on President Obama that many believe reek of racism.

CBS news anchor Bob Schieffer hit Donald recently after he raised doubts about President Obama's school grades. "That's just code for saying he got into law school because he's black," he said. "This is an ugly strain of racism that's running through this whole thing."

Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Robert De Niro, Rosie O'Donnell and David Letterman have also spoken out.

The political advocacy group Color of Change has called on all black cast members to boycott the show and one fired "applicant" told Shuter that they would shun the finale if their contract didn't stipulate they had to be there.

On Monday morning, Donald appeared on FOX News to try and dispel the charges he's racist.

"I am the least racist person there is," he said. "And I think most people who know me would tell you that. I am the least racist, I've had great relationships."

NeNe's fellow 'Housewife' (well, from NYC) Ramona Singer isn't buying it.

"Well, anyone who makes a racist remark is showing their opinion and where their mind is at," Ramona tells him.

Credit: Pop Eater (Rob Shuter)

NeNe Leakes: Why I Quit Celebrity Apprentice

Real Housewives of Atlanta's NeNe Leakes made a quick getaway on Sunday's Celebrity Apprentice, but she didn't get to hear Donald Trump utter his famous phrase "you're fired!" Instead, the reality star bolted on her own accord, reasoning that the drama with foe Star Jones had pushed her over the edge.

During Sunday's episode, where teams were tasked with producing and selling tickets to a comedy show, Leakes, 41, left her team -- John Rich, Lil Jon and La Toya Jackson (who switched places with Meat Loaf at the start of the episode) -- high and dry without an explanation. Later, when her teammates couldn't reach Leakes, Trump decided to dial her up himself.

"I've never called anybody but I'm calling you because I think you have great ability," Trump, 64, told Leakes in a last-ditch effort to keep her around. "If you quit, it's going to follow you for the rest of your life. For you to quit at the end is stupid."

In the wake of her monumental blowout fight with Jones (as seen on the May 2 episode), Leakes remained confident in her decision to leave the series.

"I really feel that Star got her way," Leakes said after her conversation with Trump. "Mr. Trump bought into her bulls--t. I don't have to stay with BS to raise money for my charity. The best thing for me to do is leave."

Leakes' swift exit stunned her castmates, namely Rich, 37.

"Star ran her off and that's so amateur," the country crooner said after they confirmed she was gone for good. "I cant say I have a healthy amount of respect for that. You can't just abandon your team. She didn't even say goodbye to us!"

When Rich, Jackson and Lil Jon met with the opposing team -- Jones, Meat Loaf and Marlee Matlin -- Trump was even more fired up about Leakes. The billionaire businessman launched into an epic tirade about potential, and how Leakes' exit cost last week's eliminated contestant Hope Dworaczyk a chance to compete.

"The fact is she left, she quit, she gave up. To you, NeNe, I say, you're fired. And you're a quitter. And Star Jones kicked your ass whether you like it or not. Potential doesn't mean sh--. I've been hearing about potential all my life, but that usually [is said of people who are] not performing. We let go of Hope and we ultimately lost NeNe. That's fine. That's the way life is."

Credit: Us Magazine

NeNe Leakes: "I'm Not Bullying Anybody"

After the altercations NeNe Leakes has gotten herself into both on Real Housewives of Atlanta, and now on Celebrity Apprentice, she's been pretty widely painted as a bully who uses her size to physically dominate her victims, but hey now, it's not NeNe's fault she's 5'10" and towers over everyone!

In a recent radio interview with The Russ Parr Morning Show, NeNe disagreed with the bully label, and disputed accusations that she was only chosen for Celebrity Apprentice to be branded the villain.

"I'm on the show because I am very popular and Mr. Donald Trump handpicked me himself," she insisted. While it may be easy to tab NeNe as the most outwardly aggressive of the women, she certainly doesn't have a reputation for being a villain. She has proven her business savvy on the show (she's now in the final 7), and is often praised by the Donald and her teammates.

"I'm not bullying anybody," she added. "I stand up for what I believe in, and I'm very honest, and I always tell the truth. I'm not a liar, I'm not manipulative, and I don't stab you in your back, because I will stab you in your chest."

Credit: Wet Paint (Mariella Mosthof)

Star Jones Compares NeNe To A Wild Animal

The last time the Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes sat down to talk with Ellen DeGeneres, she called fellow Celebrity Apprentice contestant Star Jones "a disaster." After Sunday night's vicious spat between the contestants, Jones appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show – and she didn't miss her chance to strike back.

"What were you thinking when NeNe was going off like that?" DeGeneres asks Jones in an episode airing Tuesday.

"I was thinking my grandmother is going to watch this," Jones says. "I was thinking I need to keep calm."

She also couldn't resist comparing her costar to a feral animal. "When you're confronted in the wild with an un-caged animal you're supposed to retreat," Jones says. "You're not supposed to attack."

"No," says DeGeneres, "with a bear you're supposed to appear bigger. You're supposed to get larger."

"If you can tell me how to get bigger than that, I got money for you," says Star.

Ellen also asked if a reconciliation loomed anywhere in the future for the two reality stars: "It looks like at the end of it you started making up, although you didn't want to do it on camera," she says. "How do you all get along now?"

"I don't know that girl and I don't hang with people like that."

Credit: PEOPLE (Sarah Durham Wilson)

Are NeNe & Kim Both Getting Spin-offs?

The women of Real Housewives of Atlanta are busy filming season 4, which so far has included a baby shower for Kim Zolciak. Meanwhile, the show's two biggest stars -- arch enemies NeNe Leakes and Zolciak -- are in talks to headline their own spin-off series on Bravo, sources tell The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Leakes' series would follow her as she moves to L.A. and tries to break into Hollywood; Zolciak's series would chronicle her life with NFL player Kroy Biermann and their new baby.

Of course, the network doesn't want them both to leave the mother show; they are the two most prominent personalities of the group, after all.

But keeping them both in the original show may be even more problematic. "The two no longer trust each other, much less like each other," writes The Atlanta Journal Constitution's radio and TV blogger Rodney Ho. "This dynamic must be creating challenges for Bravo producers shooting season four, since they want to maximize interaction among the six cast members while Kim and NeNe probably want to spend as little time face to face as possible."

Odds are that Leakes would be the one to make the break for good. Like Bethenny Frankel of The Real Housewives of New York, Leakes has parlayed her Houswives notoriety into other Hollywood gigs -- such as her current, high-profile stint on The Celebrity Apprentice -- and exploited the media exposure at every turn. That includes a big-time feud with Star Jones, which spilled over beyond the reality series when Leakes made the talk show rounds, complaining about Jones.

No doubt, some may say that The Real Housewives franchise has reached a saturation point, and there's no need for another spin-off. But producers can simply point out that The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the most popular one of all of them. Since it averages about 4 million viewers a week, largely on the draw of stars like Zolciak and Leakes, then maybe these women could carry their own shows. As far as TV execs are concerned, there's only one way to find out.

Credit: iVillage (Jennifer Graham Kizer)

NeNe Leakes, Taylor Armstrong In Beverly Hills

It was a "Housewife" dinner night. Real Housewives of Atlanta star Nene Leakes and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong were spotted at BOA Steakhouse last night holding hands.

Credit: The YBF (Natasha)

Is NeNe Leakes Hooking Up With Star's Ex?

Star magazine claims that Real Housewives of Atlanta's NeNe Leakes has been antagonizing Star Jones by spending quality time with Jones' ex-husband, Al Reynolds.

Although Reynolds has been haunted by gay rumors, the magazine says he's been getting quite cozy with his ex wife's nemesis.

[Reynolds and Leakes] dined at STK in NYC on March 9 and "looked very cozy," an eyewitness tells the publication. Afterwards, they danced the night away a Haven before hopping in the same cab at 4 a.m. And date No. 2 is already in the works.

RumorFix reached out to Al's rep to see if there were any truth to the rumors and were surprised when we got this answer: "Al and NeNe were recently introduced. He is enjoying getting to know her."

The rep wouldn't confirm that they're dating, but the two have been flirting on Twitter. Star Jones better watch out!

Credit: Rumor Fix

NeNe Leakes Says Star Jones “Is A Disaster”

NeNe Leakes of the Real Housewives of Atlanta and more recently, Celebrity Apprentice, will appear on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” today.

According to a transcript the show sent us, they’ll be discussing Leakes’ fellow Apprentice cast member Star Jones.

They’re not exactly best buddies.

“She is bossy, she is manipulative, conniving,” Leakes said of Jones. “She is controlling. I think that she knows. Yeah. She looks in the mirror, she better know.”

By the way here’s a comprehensive Celebrity Apprentice recap from our colleague Rodney Ho. If you’d like to see RoHo talking about the show click here for his video.

Jones has been vocal about Leakes as well, telling Daytime Confidential, “We’re not on the same level. Let’s make that clear. We’re on the same show.”

In case that was unclear she added, ”Cream rises to the top and water seeks its own level.”

Jones also noted, “They cast the show based on what they thought would generate good ratings. This was not a show about friendship.”

Apparently their relationship was strained from the beginning.

“When I walked into the situation, I tried to walk in with no preconceived notions,” Leakes told DeGeneres. “I was just thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to do the show. I’m going to get to know who Star is.’ I think she had preconceived notions of who she thought I was just from watching me on the ‘Housewives.’ I think she thought I was going to come in and take over. I tried to get to know her. Some people are difficult to get to know. She’s not easiest person to get to know. She is a disaster.”

Could they work things out?

“I don’t think she’s easy to get along with,” Leakes said. “She’s a tough girl. We’re kind of okay. I’m trying to feel her out right now.”

Credit: The Buzz (Jennifer Brett)

Star Jones And NeNe Leakes Call A Truce

Celebrity Apprentice stars NeNe Leakes and Star Jones are trying to mend their stormy relationship when the cameras are not rolling on the popular NBC reality show, Radar Online can exclusively report.

The battling divas previously came to physical blows on Donald Trump’s show which has already axed David Cassidy and Lisa Rinna.

But the two women have called a tentative truce and are trying to get along better after they both realized things were in danger of getting out of hand.

A source told Radar Online: “Both NeNe and Star are trying to get along better off set – it was really only when the show started taping that their competitiveness kicked-in.

“NeNe felt slighted by Star who she thought was not showing her enough respect – while Star believed that NeNe was all show and no substance.

“They are both head strong women and NeNe believed Star was trying to boss the other contestants around and on top of that they were feuding over hair, wardrobe and make-up too.

“But they are trying to be more accepting of their differences now although producers want to ramp-up their rivalry when the cameras are rolling because they believe it could translate to high ratings.”

NeNe poured fuel on reports that the combustible pair really did not get along after she went on the Wendy Williams Show recently and confessed to the host: “Star is special... I wouldn't spit on her if she were on fire.”

In the most recent episode of Celebrity Apprentice Lisa Rinna reacted angrily towards Star when she was axed from the show.

During her final minutes in the boardroom she said to Jones: “you threw me under the f***ing bus!”

As the women on her team faced Trump, most of them turned on Rinna for her lack of leadership and indecisiveness -- no one more than fellow divas Star Jones and Dionne Warwick.

When Trump asked Rinna which two of her teammates should be on the chopping clock, along with her, she said -- to no surprise --Jones and Warwick.

In the end, as the women argued back-and-forth, Trump fired Rinna, as she was the team leader. (You could actually see Jones and Warwick smirking.)

Celebrity Apprentice returns next Sunday at 9/8c on NBC.

Credit: Radar Online

NeNe Leakes: "I'm Not an Angry Woman"

Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes knows her larger than life personality can be polarizing. But according to the 43-year-old reality star, it's also served her well on Celebrity Apprentice.

"NeNe Leakes is fabulous, confident and she knows who the hell she is," the Bravo star tells the March 3 issue of Rolling Out. "NeNe Leakes is not an angry woman."

Leakes' critics -- and her pregnant Real Housewives costar Kim Zolciak, 32 -- may disagree.

"Some days I'm angry, and everybody is. I just happen to be on television and the camera captures me when I'm angry," Leakes counters. "Just imagine doing a reality show. What would they capture about you? They'd capture you on your period, pissed off, angry with your man, happy, going shopping. But they're only going to put in the things that are most interesting. I'm not an angry black woman; I'm actually a cool ass black woman."

The fiery reality star found a new foe in Star Jones on Celebrity Apprentice -- though Leakes is hesitant to share too many details from their on-camera scuffle.

"I had an experience with Star. I had never met her before. I believe that any woman who gets around Star will find that Star's not cool," Leakes says cryptically. "And when you watch Celebrity Apprentice, you will see some sides of her that are just not cool."

Unfortunately for Leakes, her spat with Jones, 48, was an indicator of further turmoil during her tenure on Celebrity Apprentice.

"It was a very hard show to do. We shot the show in literally 45 days," she griped. "The hours are bananas. You work six days a week, and you rise at 4 a.m. and you get in at midnight. The earliest was 10 p.m., but sometimes it was 1 a.m."

Though she's appeared on two different reality shows, Leakes insists she didn't set out to be a TV star.

"I work with a lot of people in the business who would much rather have fame over the money, and I'm a little bit different," she tells the mag. "Famous isn't anything that I'm trying to be. I'm just trying to work and have money."

Credit: Us Magazine

NeNe Celebrates Celebrity Apprentice In Vegas

To celebrate the season premiere of Donald Trump’s NBC television show, Celebrity Apprentice, NeNe Leakes partied Saturday night at Surrender Nightclub inside Encore Las Vegas.

Credit: Las Vegas Nightlife

NeNe Leakes No Longer An 'Atlanta Housewife'?

Has NeNe Leakes gotten too big for her Bravo britches?

An insider tells us Leakes' stint as a cast member of the Real Housewives of Atlanta may be coming to an end for a number of reasons - including her extra-grande ego.

The reality star, who shot to fame on the franchise along with "Tardy for the Party" singer Kim Zolciak and amateur designer Sheree Whitfield, has become best known for her catty comments and friendship with Bravo exec and television personality Andy Cohen.

But our insider tells us that Cohen's relationship with the housewife has become strained due to NeNe's "disrespectful" and "arrogant behavior."

The insider says Neakes' aggressive behavior toward Zolciak - one incident of which was depicted on the reality series - has prompted the network to reevaluate NeNe's position on the show.

At the end of season two, Leakes grabbed the aspiring singer by the throat. The two began season three by making up but had fallen out again by last month's finale.

Apparently, Zolciak is not the only one who wants nothing to do with Leakes. "She's alienated all of the women other than Cynthia [Bailey]," the source says. "So, as of now, the plan is to "phase" Leakes out within the first two to three episodes of season four, which begins in October.

A spokeswoman for Bravo has no comment.

Credit: NY Daily News' Gatecrasher

NeNe Leakes on Star Jones: She is Not ‘Loyal’

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Nene Leakes and former View host Star Jones are no strangers to drama, so when the two came together to star on the upcoming season of Celebrity Apprentice, it should come as a surprise that these two ladies didn’t exactly see eye to eye.

What exactly caused this drama? And what can we expect to see on this season of the hit NBC show? Nene spoke with Celebuzz to dish out all the dirt:

You clash a bit with Star Jones on this season of Celebrity Apprentice. Can you give us some inside scoop on that?
Well for weeks we were cool. What caused it is that I don’t think Star is a loyal person. I’m very loyal to those who are loyal to me. I understand we are playing a game. People are manipulative and strategic, but I don’t feel that you need to be that way when you’re playing for charity. She was backstabbing and manipulative and it really aggravated me so I called her on it in front of Trump.

Who did you get along with and get close to?
Star and I got along well for a long time, but I always felt she had this preconceived notion about me. I also heard that she didn’t really like reality stars. Some people left early so I didn’t get a chance to make a connection with them, but I thought all the girls were cool. Latoya [Jackson] has been the person I’ve talked to the most. We clash on the show because of Star but we both confronted her. Towards the end, everyone starts to get aggressive, but all the girls are cool.

What’s it like being there with Latoya Jackson?
I’ve never been a star struck person. I respect her family and the things that they’ve done in the entertainment industry, but that’s their thing. I met her and introduced myself. I saw another side of Latoya that people don’t know. I talk to her the most out of everybody. She’s really cool.

You’ve been working on your brand and your business. Are you now looking to expand? What’s next?
A lot of opportunities have been presented to me. I’m not sure which way to go in yet, but one of my goals is to host. I’d love to do something like Chelsea Lately where we can laugh a bit and then move to the couch and have an interview. I’m also very interested in shoes and handbags too, so I have a few things to think about.

Credit: Celebuzz (Amanda Hasaka)

NeNe Leakes' Interview With "Rolling Out"

When Rolling Out scheduled an all-day photo shoot with Real Housewives of Atlanta and Celebrity Apprentice star NeNe Leakes, we were already prepared to expect the unexpected.

Never one to shy away from a juicy conversation, Leakes opened up about life, love and even whether she was wearing any panties. 

So check out this special sneak peek below, and be sure to read her no-holds-barred interview in the March 3 edition of Rolling Out.

Credit: Rolling Out