Entertainment

Marlo & NeNe's Friendship Extends Way Beyond The 'RHOA' Universe

by Marenah Dobin
Annette Brown/Bravo

Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 11 was short on the drama until NeNe Leakes had her "Bye Wig!" party. During the March 3 episode, she argued with Marlo Hampton, kicked Porsha Williams and Kandi Burruss out of her closet, and ripped a shirt off a cameraman. After all that, are NeNe Leakes and Marlo Hampton friends in 2019?

Thankfully (for the fans), it seems like the drama amps up at the tail end of the season. Not only that, but the same sentiment can be said about the reunion episodes. After they filmed, NeNe unfollowed most of her costars on Instagram, which was reported by Us Weekly on March 8. Actually, the only people NeNe still follows are Marlo and Shamari DeVoe. Wow. She really cleaned house. What went down with Kandi Burruss, Porsha Williams, Cynthia Bailey, Eva Marcille, and Tanya Sam?

No one has said what happened at the reunion, of course. However, on March 8, reunion host Andy Cohen responded to a tweet about the unfollowing spree with a bold declaration. He stated, "The whole table was reset for next season." Wow. So, at the very least, Marlo is in better standing with NeNe than most of the other Real Housewives of Atlanta cast members.

NeNe appeared on the March 3 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen just a couple days before the reunion filming. During her interview with Andy, NeNe admitted, "I hate the reunion."

Then, she elaborated, "It's like walking into a lion's den." Maybe NeNe had a feeling that the taping would not go her way before it even happened. After, NeNe explained, "Listen, I am that girl that everyone wants to come for. So, I'm sure they are going to figure out how to come for me. " Marlo is not one of those people. At this point, it would be unfathomable to imagine Marlo plotting against NeNe.

In fact, Marlo is a very vocal member of Team NeNe. Marlo defended NeNe's closet fighting antics during her appearance on the March 8 Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen episode. Marlo began, "You know what? Nene’s house was disrespected last year." This was most likely in reference to the Kim Zolciak-instigated bathroom roach scandal from Season 10.

Marlo justified NeNe's behavior by saying, "She wants it perfect if she’s showing it to the world. To her, it wasn’t clean. I think she was cool with the girls going in, but once the cameraman went in, it was like, 'No you’re not going to let America see my closet not exactly how I want it.'"

During that same WWHL episode, Marlo commented on NeNe's Instagram unfollowing. She teased, "You’re going to have to tune into the reunion for that one." She even declared, "You pissed off my sister, Andy." With that said, it seems pretty obvious that Marlo and NeNe are on good terms. Not only did Marlo refer to the Atlanta OG a her "sister," but she also stood up to Andy, the king of Bravo.

And, just to be clear, their friendship is not a one way street. During the March 3 WWHL episode, NeNe stood up for Marlo after a viewer asked a shady question about Marlo's source of income.

NeNe clapped back, "She has fashion stores and everything like online fashion stores. She does a lot of stuff. She owns real estate. She has a lot." Then, NeNe pointed out the obvious: "And she works on this show. Now she's all of a sudden broke?" Preach, NeNe.

Things may be rocky with NeNe and some of her costars, but at least she and Marlo still have a strong relationship. Plus, it sounds like she will have a very interesting storyline for Season 12 of Real Housewives of Atlanta.