NeNe Leakes has been able to successfully parlay her notoriety as a reality star into a serious acting career. The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member currently appears in NBC’s breakout scripted comedy The New Normal.
The show is about a blended family of a gay couple and woman who serves as their surrogate as they attempt to have a child. NeNe stars as Rocky, the 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, where NeNe made her debut as a TV actress just earlier this year.
There are instances in the series where NeNe’s character is placed in racially charged scenarios, however during an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon, she said she tolerates the racist comments that her character endures.
“I’m okay with the racist comments and things like that,” NeNe said. “I’m okay with it because I know we’re acting. Now if they were being for real, then we would have a problem. But they’re acting so I’m okay with it.”
NeNe weighed in on her success as a reality star-turned-actress, and whether or not she thinks she is the ‘queen of reality TV.’
“I don’t know if I am the queen of the reality TV, but I am the queen of transitioning from reality [TV] to scripted. I have done it, and I don’t think there is any other reality star that has. I’ve gone from reality to a series regular on a major network on a major show.”
During a recent interview with the New York Post, the Atlanta Housewives star said the upcoming season of the reality series that made her famous might be her last. She revealed that her ultimate goal is the host her own hour-long talk show.
NeNe elaborated on her ambition to host a talk show with theGrio:
“I loved Oprah’s show and love a lot of the talk shows that are out here today. I know that I would definitely keep it real. Oprah did something I love,” NeNe said. “She didn’t just only interview celebrities but she also interviewed regular people, and I would want to do that too. I want to interview celebrities and regular people and talk about real issue[s] and most of all really keep it real. Now I’m not opposed to do a panel. I’d love to do a panel show (Like The View), or I’d love to do my own show. I think I’m opinionated enough to handle something like that.”
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC