'RHOA' star Cynthia Bailey is just a few days away from marrying fiance Mike Hill in a big Georgia wedding. She's dishing on whether or not now-ex cast mate NeNe Leakes will be present.
Cynthia Bailey and fiance Mike Hill are going to be saying their “I Do’s” on Oct. 10, and she’s still not sure if her now-former Real Housewives of Atlanta cast mate NeNe Leakes plans on attending the wedding. Cynthia said that she sent the 52-year-old an invitation, but has yet to hear back on if she’ll be present. The 53-year-old did note that Bravo will have a camera crew present to document the nuptials, and after NeNe’s claims that she was forced out of RHOA, she might feel awkward with the network’s presence.
“Honestly, with everything going on as far as her leaving the show, I wasn’t sure how comfortable she’d be attending the wedding knowing she has issues [with Bravo],” Cynthia tells Page Six. “You just never know what someone is going through, but she’s still more than welcome to come.”
Cynthia and NeNe used to be besties, but had their issues over the last two seasons. Still, the wine bar owner knows that Leakes made for great TV. “Regardless of where NeNe and I are in our relationship, she was good for the show,” Cynthia told to the outlet. “I’m always going to give her her props for that, you can’t take away all she’s done for the Atlanta franchise.”
NeNe said in a Sept. 17, 2020 announcement that she made the difficult decision to quit RHOA, but later claimed she was “forced out” by Bravo. During an Oct. 2 appearance on Tamron Hall‘s daytime talk show, Nene explained, “They offered six episodes. Normally I’d usually do 8-23 [episodes per season],” for the show’s upcoming thirteenth season, noting that she wouldn’t have had a cut in pay.
“Basically what happened over the past four years, I felt very forced out. I felt like my role was being diminished,” she said, explaining, “Every year they would give me less and less episodes and every year they’d be like Nene is holding out. It wasn’t me, I was trying to understand why I was given less and less every season from a show that I helped become successful.” Nene had been with RHOA since its inception in 2008, appearing as a guest in season eight and taking season nine off before returning full-time.
While NeNe likely won’t be at Cynthia’s ceremony, other RHOA stars current and former will be in attendance. Kandi Burruss and Kenya Moore have RSVP’ed, along with now ex cast member Eva Marcille. And unlike some reality stars who have been tying the knot in simple ceremonies after cancelling their big she-bangs due to COVID-19, Cynthia and Mike still plan to have a very large wedding, with 250 guests in attendance at the Governors Towne Club in Acworth, GA.
“Instead of focusing on the accessories in my hair or what kind of food we’re going to have, Mike and I have been putting most of our wedding energy into COVID-19 protocols,” Cynthia told Page Six. “And we ain’t playin’ around. If anyone doesn’t adhere to the rules, then they’re just going to be asked to leave. We’re taking this seriously, we want to protect ourselves and our guests.” Among the precautions are temperature checks, sanitizing stations and hand washing basins. Cynthia also noted about the indoor-outdoor facility, “It’s a huge space, so you can be as far away from people as you want while still feeling connected to the ceremony.”
