Earlier this year on the Real Housewives of Atlanta, NeNe Leakes proclaimed that she is wealthy, with her now infamous expression “I’m very rich, b*tch.” And by the looks of things she is working hard to keep it that way. While most reality stars are lucky if they get 15 minutes of fame, Leakes has been able to parlay her reality show success into a second act. Yesterday NBC announced that she will be co-starring in the upcoming sitcom The New Normal.
The scripted comedy is about a blended family of a gay couple and woman who serves as their surrogate as they grow their family. NeNe will play the role of Rocky, an assistant to one of the gay men. The New Normal is headed up by Ryan Murphy, who also is the creator and executive producer of Glee. NeNe made her debut as a TV actress months ago on Glee as Roz Washington, the no-nonsense synchronized swimming coach at William McKinley High School.
WATCH A PREVIEW OF THE NEW NORMAL HERE
NeNe broke the big news about her new television role earlier this month via her Twitter account. “BIG NEWS!!! THE NEW NORMAL HAS BEEN PICKED UP #NBC I’M SO EXCITED.”
The Georgia native has a lot to be excited about this year, as she is quickly becoming ‘the queen of reality TV.’
Other well-known reality stars like Bethany Frankel from the Real Housewives of New York, Snooki from Jersey Shore and Kim Kardashian are raking in the dough because of their brand power. But NeNe stands alone as the only reality star that has been able to transfer her sassy, in-your-face ‘real life’ persona into legitimate television acting opportunities. The characters NeNe plays on Glee and The New Normal, are very similar to the over-the-top personality she portrays on the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Murphy reportedly created the role of Rocky on The New Normal with NeNe in mind. During a recent interview NeNe revealed details about her new character. “She’s very different from Roz Washington on Glee,” NeNe said. ”[Roz] is always in workout outfits and sneakers. Rocky wears high heels every day. This is very fitting for me because in my real life, you don’t mess with my gays, honey. I don’t play that.”
NeNe, who also appeared in season 11 of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice, revealed that she has plans to do both of her new TV gigs as well as continue starring in the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
“I hope to stay on Glee, I hope to still be a ‘Housewife’ and I hope to do The New Normal. I just want to do it all!” she said. “Why not? I’m only going to be young for a little while longer.”
Who knows? Maybe NeNe will be nominated for an Emmy award in the years to come.
The New Normal premieres this fall on NBC.
