NeNe Leakes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids NeNe Leakes
Leakes in 2013
Born	Linnethia Monique Johnson (1967-12-13) December 13, 1967 (age 57) New York City, U.S.
Education	Morris Brown College (two years)
Occupation	Television personality actress presenter author fashion designer
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Gregg Leakes ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2011)​ ​ ​ (m. 2013; died 2021)​
Children	2

Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (born December 13, 1967) is an American television star, actress, host, and businesswoman. She is best known for being a star on the Bravo reality television series, The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Many people consider her one of the most famous personalities from The Real Housewives shows and a major figure in reality TV.

Born in Queens, New York, and raised in Athens, Georgia, Leakes is also known for playing the character Roz Washington on the Fox TV series Glee.

Leakes also starred as Rocky Rhoades on the NBC show The New Normal before it was canceled in 2013. She has competed on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice and ABC's Dancing with the Stars. In 2014, Leakes performed on Broadway as Madame in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. The next year, she played Matron "Mama" Morton in the musical Chicago.

She was also a regular panelist on the ABC game show To Tell the Truth. Besides her TV work, Leakes created a clothing line for the Home Shopping Network and opened her own SWAGG boutiques in several cities.

Early Life

Linnethia Monique Johnson was born in Queens, New York City. She was one of five children. When she was young, she and one of her brothers moved to Athens, Georgia, to live with their aunt. Her other three siblings stayed with their mother.

After graduating from Clarke Central High School in Athens, she attended Morris Brown College in Atlanta for two years.

Career

First Roles and The Real Housewives

Before she became famous on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, NeNe Leakes had small parts in TV shows like The Parkers. In 2003, she had a minor role as a dancer in the movie The Fighting Temptations, which starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Beyoncé. However, her scenes were cut from the final movie.

In 2008, Leakes became an original cast member on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The show made her a star. After the first season, she co-wrote a book called Never Make The Same Mistake Twice. Leakes was a main cast member for the first seven seasons. In 2015, she announced she would not return for the eighth season but appeared as a supporting cast member. She returned as a full-time housewife for seasons 10 through 12, from 2017 to 2020.

Acting and Other TV Shows

Leakes also moved into acting in scripted shows. She played the secretary Rocky Rhoades in the NBC comedy The New Normal. The show's creator, Ryan Murphy, also cast her in his popular series Glee. She had a recurring role as Roz Washington, a synchronized swimming coach.

In 2011, Leakes competed on The Celebrity Apprentice. During the show, she had disagreements with another contestant, Star Jones, and decided to leave.

Leakes has also appeared on many other shows. She guest-hosted Anderson Live and The Talk. On March 4, 2014, she was announced as a contestant on season 18 of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Tony Dovolani. They finished in 7th place.

Stage Performances

Leakes has also performed on stage. She had a role in the Las Vegas show Cirque du Soleil: Zumanity. On November 25, 2014, she made her Broadway debut as Madame in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. In November 2015, she returned to Broadway to play Matron "Mama" Morton in the musical Chicago for four weeks.

Business Ventures

Production Company

Leakes started her own television production company called NeNe Leakes Entertainment. The company co-produced her spin-off series I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding, which first aired in 2013.

Fashion and Comedy

In 2014, Leakes launched her own clothing line, the Nene Leakes Collection, on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

In 2016, she started a one-woman comedy tour across the United States called "So Nasty, So Rude," which was named after one of her famous catchphrases from her reality show. Many of her shows were sold out.

Boutiques and Lounge

Leakes opened her first SWAGG Boutique in Duluth, Georgia, in 2017. She later opened more locations at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland and in Miami Beach.

In May 2021, she opened The Linnethia Lounge in Duluth, Georgia. The lounge is named after her and has hosted performances by singers like KeKe Wyatt and Tamar Braxton.

Personal Life

Leakes lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.

She married Gregg Leakes in 1997. They separated in 2010, and their divorce was finalized in 2011. However, NeNe and Gregg got back together and announced their engagement in 2013. Their wedding planning was filmed for the Bravo spin-off show I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding. They remarried on June 22, 2013, in Atlanta.

In 2018, NeNe revealed that Gregg had stage 3 colon cancer. In May 2019, she announced that he was cancer-free. Sadly, in June 2021, she shared that his cancer had returned. Gregg Leakes passed away from colon cancer on September 1, 2021, at the age of 66.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Video games

Producer

• I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding (TV Series) (executive producer)

Theatre