NeNe Leakes negotiates Bravo comeback as The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip eyes January 2026 filming

NeNe Leakes is in active discussions with Bravo about a potential return to the network, marking a notable shift in a relationship that fractured publicly less than five years ago.

According to Page Six, Leakes is “in talks” to appear in the next installment of The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, which is scheduled to film in January 2026 and is currently being positioned as a franchise-spanning event.

The project, announced by Andy Cohen during BravoCon 2025, is expected to celebrate two decades of The Real Housewives by sending cast members from across cities and eras on a cross-country journey through locations tied to Bravo history.

Cameras will follow “beloved housewives from various cities and years as they make their way across the country,” Cohen said at the fan convention.

NeNe Leakes is now among the names being discussed internally for the cast.

The potential return would be significant given Leakes’ history with Bravo. An original cast member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Leakes exited the franchise in September 2020 after 12 seasons.

In April 2022, she filed a lawsuit against Bravo, Cohen, and production companies, alleging that the network fostered “a corporate and workplace culture in which racially insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated, if not encouraged.”

The suit further claimed that her complaints of racism contributed to her being pushed out of the franchise she helped build.

Months into talks, Leakes moved to drop the case - no penalty attached - keeping future claims on the table if needed.

At the time, neither Bravo nor Leakes publicly framed the dismissal as a reconciliation.

However, Cohen later revealed at BravoCon 2025 that he and Leakes had resumed direct communication. “He and NeNe actually texted a few months ago,” Page Six reported, a detail that fueled speculation about a thaw in relations.

The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip and Bravo’s strategy shift

The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip has increasingly become Bravo’s vehicle for revisiting legacy cast members without reintegrating them into their original franchises.

Previous seasons have featured former stars whose exits were contentious or unresolved, offering a controlled environment that emphasizes nostalgia while limiting long-term contractual commitments.

The January 2026 installment—described internally as an “ultimate road trip”—appears designed to elevate that concept.

The season will reportedly commemorate 20 years of The Real Housewives, a milestone that places figures like Leakes at the center of the franchise’s history.

Her inclusion would signal not only her cultural importance to Bravo but also a willingness on both sides to move forward after years of public tension.

Leakes has not publicly commented on the negotiations. Bravo has also declined to confirm casting, consistent with its approach to Ultimate Girls Trip announcements, which are typically finalized closer to production.

Leakes is not the only former Housewife whose name has surfaced as Bravo reassesses its legacy bench. Sources have also confirmed that Jacqueline Laurita is being courted for a return to the network, though in a different capacity.

Laurita, who starred on The Real Housewives of New Jersey from Season 1 in 2009 through Season 7 in 2016, has been approached to join The Real Housewives of Orange County.

Laurita and her husband, Chris Laurita, relocated from New Jersey to Las Vegas in 2019 before moving again in 2023, this time to Orange County, California.

A source told Page Six that Bravo has “repeatedly asked” Laurita to appear on RHOC as a friend of the cast. Those conversations reportedly intensified after she moved into a home near Jennifer Pedranti earlier this year.

According to the same source, Laurita is now considering an appearance during The Real Housewives of Orange County’s upcoming 20th season, in part because a full-time role “may be on the table.” Salary negotiations remain a factor, and Laurita is said to be undecided.

The insider added that Laurita’s integration into RHOC would be organic, citing her friendships with Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley, as well as her existing relationship with Tamra Judge.

These connections mirror Bravo’s broader strategy of reintroducing familiar figures through established social ties rather than abrupt casting resets.

Though Laurita possibly coming back stands apart from what Leakes is discussing, when these talks emerged, it hinted at shifts simmering across Bravo’s lineup of real-life dramas.

With The Real Housewives nearing twenty years on air, execs seem drawn more toward honoring past voices, marking big moments, and spotlighting those who shaped the series early.

Leakes showing up on The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip might quietly stir how fans feel about old conflicts resurfacing.

Her departure from The Real Housewives of Atlanta was not framed as a celebratory send-off, and her lawsuit placed her in direct opposition to the network’s leadership.

A return—even in a limited, spinoff capacity—would mark one of Bravo’s most consequential reversals in recent years.

At BravoCon 2025, Cohen framed the upcoming Ultimate Girls Trip season as a celebration rather than a reckoning.

The road trip format, he explained, would allow cameras to revisit “some of the most memorable locations in Bravo history.”

If Leakes ultimately signs on, her presence would align with that goal, given her central role in defining the tone, language, and cultural footprint of The Real Housewives brand.

Stay tuned for more updates.