NeNe Leakes: "Celebrity Apprentice" Finale

NeNe Leakes attends "The Celebrity Apprentice" Season 4 Finale at Trump SoHo on May 22, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images North America

Kim Zolciak to Kelly Bensimon: "Grow Up"

Kim Zolciak had some strong words for Real Housewives of New York star Kelly Bensimon on Twitter today -- but then she apparently took them back.

The pregnant Real Housewives of Atlanta star tweeted: "How disgusting Kelly from RHONY to make comments about my unborn child and Kroy! Grow up and keep my name outta ur mouth!" (Real Housewives gossiping about each other? Shocking!)

Kim removed the post from her Twitter page just a few minutes later, but it was too late. A few of her fans had already retweeted the message to their followers.

(Lesson for Kim: Once you put something in the Twitterverse, you just can't take it back.)

Credit: Stars of Reality

NeNe Leakes Spotted Out In West Hollywood

Nene Leakes may have left Celebrity Apprentice in dramatic fashion on Sunday night’s show, but she showed no signs of hostility when she was snapped in West Hollywood just hours later.

The ever-dramatic Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member looked exceedingly chipper as the paps caught her chatting on the phone while out shopping West Hollywood.

Credit: Celebuzz (Wes Ferguson)

NeNe: Celebrity Apprentice Was 'Toxic' for Me

NeNe Leakes never had second thoughts about quitting Celebrity Apprentice. It all just got to be too much, she says.

"I don't regret it. I felt very good about it. I always do what my gut tells me to do," the Real Housewives of Atlanta star says in an interview airing Wednesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She adds: "I'm a grown woman, and nobody makes decisions for me. I make my own decisions. It was a toxic situation for me."

Particularly poisonous, of course, was her feud with Star Jones. In an episode two weeks ago, Leakes unloaded on Jones in front of a client, then walked off the show. She doesn't regret that either, but admits it didn't need to get that ugly.

"I needed to get it out," she says. "I wish I could have maybe had a different delivery, maybe better word choices, but I'm OK with it. I felt she deserved it. I know everybody in Hollywood knows I'm telling the truth [about Jones]."

Of course, things evened out this past week, when Donald Trump fired Jones. "When I said on the show yesterday that Star got fired, there were applauses in the audience," says DeGeneres. "People were thrilled that Star got fired."

To which Leakes replies: "Yeah, let's clap about it."

Credit: PEOPLE (Tim Nudd)

Friends Applaud NeNe For Quitting 'Apprentice'

With celebrities, respected journalists and interest groups lobbing the racist label at Donald Trump, friends of Nene Leakes tell Rob Shuter of Pop Eater that quitting Celebrity Apprentice in a shocking -- and low-rated -- episode on Sunday was a smart, principled move.

"Everything will ultimately work out for NeNe," a friend of the Real Housewives of Atlanta star tells him. "In the long run she was much better off to quit and walk away than get a job with Donald Trump."

It should be noted that each celebrity is playing to raise money for their charity rather than get a job within Trump's organization. It should also be noted that the Celebrity Apprentice you're seeing on Sundays was taped months ago, before The Donald's now-floundering bid for the White House and string of attacks on President Obama that many believe reek of racism.

CBS news anchor Bob Schieffer hit Donald recently after he raised doubts about President Obama's school grades. "That's just code for saying he got into law school because he's black," he said. "This is an ugly strain of racism that's running through this whole thing."

Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Robert De Niro, Rosie O'Donnell and David Letterman have also spoken out.

The political advocacy group Color of Change has called on all black cast members to boycott the show and one fired "applicant" told Shuter that they would shun the finale if their contract didn't stipulate they had to be there.

On Monday morning, Donald appeared on FOX News to try and dispel the charges he's racist.

"I am the least racist person there is," he said. "And I think most people who know me would tell you that. I am the least racist, I've had great relationships."

NeNe's fellow 'Housewife' (well, from NYC) Ramona Singer isn't buying it.

"Well, anyone who makes a racist remark is showing their opinion and where their mind is at," Ramona tells him.

Credit: Pop Eater (Rob Shuter)

Atlanta Housewives Attend Fundraiser

Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Kim Zolciak and Atlanta Falcons player Kroy Biermann, who are expecting a child soon, attended a fundraiser at the Twelve Hotel at Atlantic Station. Also pictured, Sheree Whitfield.

Credit: Access Atlanta (Jennifer Britt)

NeNe Leakes: Why I Quit Celebrity Apprentice

Real Housewives of Atlanta's NeNe Leakes made a quick getaway on Sunday's Celebrity Apprentice, but she didn't get to hear Donald Trump utter his famous phrase "you're fired!" Instead, the reality star bolted on her own accord, reasoning that the drama with foe Star Jones had pushed her over the edge.

During Sunday's episode, where teams were tasked with producing and selling tickets to a comedy show, Leakes, 41, left her team -- John Rich, Lil Jon and La Toya Jackson (who switched places with Meat Loaf at the start of the episode) -- high and dry without an explanation. Later, when her teammates couldn't reach Leakes, Trump decided to dial her up himself.

"I've never called anybody but I'm calling you because I think you have great ability," Trump, 64, told Leakes in a last-ditch effort to keep her around. "If you quit, it's going to follow you for the rest of your life. For you to quit at the end is stupid."

In the wake of her monumental blowout fight with Jones (as seen on the May 2 episode), Leakes remained confident in her decision to leave the series.

"I really feel that Star got her way," Leakes said after her conversation with Trump. "Mr. Trump bought into her bulls--t. I don't have to stay with BS to raise money for my charity. The best thing for me to do is leave."

Leakes' swift exit stunned her castmates, namely Rich, 37.

"Star ran her off and that's so amateur," the country crooner said after they confirmed she was gone for good. "I cant say I have a healthy amount of respect for that. You can't just abandon your team. She didn't even say goodbye to us!"

When Rich, Jackson and Lil Jon met with the opposing team -- Jones, Meat Loaf and Marlee Matlin -- Trump was even more fired up about Leakes. The billionaire businessman launched into an epic tirade about potential, and how Leakes' exit cost last week's eliminated contestant Hope Dworaczyk a chance to compete.

"The fact is she left, she quit, she gave up. To you, NeNe, I say, you're fired. And you're a quitter. And Star Jones kicked your ass whether you like it or not. Potential doesn't mean sh--. I've been hearing about potential all my life, but that usually [is said of people who are] not performing. We let go of Hope and we ultimately lost NeNe. That's fine. That's the way life is."

Credit: Us Magazine

NeNe Leakes: "I'm Not Bullying Anybody"

After the altercations NeNe Leakes has gotten herself into both on Real Housewives of Atlanta, and now on Celebrity Apprentice, she's been pretty widely painted as a bully who uses her size to physically dominate her victims, but hey now, it's not NeNe's fault she's 5'10" and towers over everyone!

In a recent radio interview with The Russ Parr Morning Show, NeNe disagreed with the bully label, and disputed accusations that she was only chosen for Celebrity Apprentice to be branded the villain.

"I'm on the show because I am very popular and Mr. Donald Trump handpicked me himself," she insisted. While it may be easy to tab NeNe as the most outwardly aggressive of the women, she certainly doesn't have a reputation for being a villain. She has proven her business savvy on the show (she's now in the final 7), and is often praised by the Donald and her teammates.

"I'm not bullying anybody," she added. "I stand up for what I believe in, and I'm very honest, and I always tell the truth. I'm not a liar, I'm not manipulative, and I don't stab you in your back, because I will stab you in your chest."

Credit: Wet Paint (Mariella Mosthof)

Kim Zolciak Shares Intimate Pregnancy Photo

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak is due to give birth in just a few weeks and decided to share personal pregnancy photos of herself and boyfriend Kroy Biermann with Life & Style.

The reality star admitted she doesn't feel attractive at this stage of the pregnancy, but dad-to-be Biermann is taking good care of her.

"He thinks I'm sexy," Zolciak said of Biermann, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons. "He makes me feel beautiful."

"He's just been the best partner," she continued. "This pregnancy has kicked my butt, and now I'm at the stage where I'm uncomfortable."

And while Zolciak has let the Bravo cameras document many moments of her life, the Housewives star has nixed the idea of reality cameras in the delivery room.

"It's a very personal moment," she said. "I just want to share it with Kroy."

Credit: Pop Eater (Kelly Fisher)

Star Jones Compares NeNe To A Wild Animal

The last time the Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes sat down to talk with Ellen DeGeneres, she called fellow Celebrity Apprentice contestant Star Jones "a disaster." After Sunday night's vicious spat between the contestants, Jones appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show – and she didn't miss her chance to strike back.

"What were you thinking when NeNe was going off like that?" DeGeneres asks Jones in an episode airing Tuesday.

"I was thinking my grandmother is going to watch this," Jones says. "I was thinking I need to keep calm."

She also couldn't resist comparing her costar to a feral animal. "When you're confronted in the wild with an un-caged animal you're supposed to retreat," Jones says. "You're not supposed to attack."

"No," says DeGeneres, "with a bear you're supposed to appear bigger. You're supposed to get larger."

"If you can tell me how to get bigger than that, I got money for you," says Star.

Ellen also asked if a reconciliation loomed anywhere in the future for the two reality stars: "It looks like at the end of it you started making up, although you didn't want to do it on camera," she says. "How do you all get along now?"

"I don't know that girl and I don't hang with people like that."

Credit: PEOPLE (Sarah Durham Wilson)

Are NeNe & Kim Both Getting Spin-offs?

The women of Real Housewives of Atlanta are busy filming season 4, which so far has included a baby shower for Kim Zolciak. Meanwhile, the show's two biggest stars -- arch enemies NeNe Leakes and Zolciak -- are in talks to headline their own spin-off series on Bravo, sources tell The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Leakes' series would follow her as she moves to L.A. and tries to break into Hollywood; Zolciak's series would chronicle her life with NFL player Kroy Biermann and their new baby.

Of course, the network doesn't want them both to leave the mother show; they are the two most prominent personalities of the group, after all.

But keeping them both in the original show may be even more problematic. "The two no longer trust each other, much less like each other," writes The Atlanta Journal Constitution's radio and TV blogger Rodney Ho. "This dynamic must be creating challenges for Bravo producers shooting season four, since they want to maximize interaction among the six cast members while Kim and NeNe probably want to spend as little time face to face as possible."

Odds are that Leakes would be the one to make the break for good. Like Bethenny Frankel of The Real Housewives of New York, Leakes has parlayed her Houswives notoriety into other Hollywood gigs -- such as her current, high-profile stint on The Celebrity Apprentice -- and exploited the media exposure at every turn. That includes a big-time feud with Star Jones, which spilled over beyond the reality series when Leakes made the talk show rounds, complaining about Jones.

No doubt, some may say that The Real Housewives franchise has reached a saturation point, and there's no need for another spin-off. But producers can simply point out that The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the most popular one of all of them. Since it averages about 4 million viewers a week, largely on the draw of stars like Zolciak and Leakes, then maybe these women could carry their own shows. As far as TV execs are concerned, there's only one way to find out.

Credit: iVillage (Jennifer Graham Kizer)

Inside Kim Zolciak's 'Perfect' Baby Shower

On April 17, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak hosted one of the classiest baby showers the city's ever seen! "I put so much time into making it perfect," Kim said while giving Life & Style an exclusive look inside her dream day. "I'm really happy."

A seven-months-pregnant Kim, 32, sported an undeniable glow in a floor-sweeping gown by Rafael Cennamo when she and her boyfriend of a year, NFL star Kroy Biermann, 25, invited 110 of their closest family and friends to celebrate the couple's first child. "I really wanted the baby shower to be special for Kroy," says Kim, "this being his first baby -- and a boy."

Guests, including Kim's Real Housewives of Atlanta castmates Phaedra Parks and Sheree Whitfield, noshed on mini crab cakes and delicious treats, including "baby boy" Oreo cookies.

During the gorgeously over-the-top event, planned by Wedding Soiree, the reality star was bursting with excitement. But Kim, who has two daughters from a previous marriage, says she's entering uncharted territory. "I just don't know what to do with a boy -- I'm all girls!" she tells Life & Style. "But I hear the bond of a mother and son is like no other."

Credit: Life & Style

Kim Zolciak: Pregnant At Athens Fashion Week

Kim Zolciak and boyfriend Kroy Biermann attended the Cocktails & Couture For A Cause party in Athens, GA last night, April 21, 2011, during Athens Fashion Week.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Photo Agency

Kim Zolciak Turns Down New York For Athens

Kim Zolciak is coming.

She was supposed to be in New York this week, filming footage for the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

But then Corey McCants decided to organize Athens Fashion Week, track down the phone number of Justin Jones, Zolciak’s agent, and asked if she would be interested in coming to Athens.

She said yes. The ask was a logical one for McCants.

Fellow Housewives Phaedra Parks and NeNe Leaks may be Athens natives, but:

“Kim Zolciak is fashion, in her own right,” McCants said.

Trailing her will be a crew for Bravo, as well as photographers and bloggers.

McCants said he expects people to appear from across the country, just to snap a picture of Zolciak — who is, fortuitously, near giving birth, which only increases her star value.

The increased exposure has been beneficial to the week. For one, the possibility of national exposure — even incidentally — has been persuasive for possible sponsors, said Nicole McClellan, public relations chair for the week.

Credit: Red & Black (Adam Carlson)

NeNe Is "Unstable," Says Fellow Contestant

Just how bats--t crazy is Celebrity Apprentice?

Playboy Playmate contestant Hope Dworaczyk sums it up pretty well…

"It's a mess," she tells me. "Celebrity Apprentice looks a lot like the commercials for Celebrity Rehab."

We haven't seen Dworaczyk, who is competing on behalf of Best Buddies, get into any of the show's ridiculous feuds yet, but she did tell me that she ended up going head to head with—who else?—NeNe Leakes. "I liked Nene a lot until I had to be her boss," she said. "I like her a lot until about [tonight's] episode. It got a little weird after that. I had to tell her what to do and I don't think anybody wants to take direction from someone who is a lot younger than them."

Dworacyk claims Leakes was completely unpredictable. "One minute she was crying and opening up about herself and sharing something about the past that's very very personal, and the next minute, she's yelling," she explained. "I think you can call it unstable."

Yeah, but so unstable that Star Jones felt she had to hire a bodyguard to protect her from the Real Housewives of Atlanta star?

"It was out of control," Dworacyk said. "I think if I had been yelled at and attacked the way Nene gets in Star's face, I would have wanted a bodyguard, too."

Credit: E! Online (Marc Malkin)

NeNe Leakes Wants Her Own Talk Show

Oprah Winfrey will soon be stepping down from her throne as the current Queen of Daytime Talk, and it seems NeNe Leakes might be in a position to take the crown.

NeNe has been in talks with several producers and might even relocate to Miami to host her own daytime talk show, Radar Online reports.

“NeNe is actively shopping herself around and she wants her own chat show and if that does not happen, she would like her own reality show instead,” a source told Radar Online.

After season 3 of RHOA, there were rumors that NeNe would not return to the series. Her multiple confrontations with co-stars Dwight Eubanks, Kandi Burruss and especially Kim Zolciak were seemingly taking a toll on NeNe.

Although some may question whether NeNe has the warmth of other successful female talk-show hosts, she doesn’t seem to have those doubts.

“She thinks she has what it takes to be the next Oprah or Wendy Williams,” the source said. “With Oprah's show coming off the air soon, she believes the time is right for a new Black female talk show host.”

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star has had some experience interviewing celebs. As seen on the Bravo reality show, she interviewed Atlanta stars, such as producer Jermaine Dupri, for a show on a local TV station.

NeNe, who is reportedly in the middle of a divorce, isn’t just looking to TV ventures to support herself. She’s also diving into the world of fashion.

"NeNe really wants to brand herself with her own clothing, makeup and hair products lines, and she is confident she can pull it off,” the source said.

Credit: S2S Magazine (Tracey L. Scott)

Kim Zolciak & Kroy Biermann's Baby Shower

Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Kim Zolciak and her guy Kroy Biermann celebrated the impending arrival of their baby with a shower over the weekend.

“Huge thank you to my love Kim Zolciak for such a special and wonderful baby shower for our son!” Falcons player Kroy Biermann tweeted following the festivities.

The gossip site Media Take Out posted numerous photos. Other “Housewives” in attendance included Phaedra Parks and Kandi Burruss but Media Take Out said NeNe Leakes, Zolciak’s frequent sparring partner, did not get invited.

Chances are whoever leaked the pictures will be barred from future fetes.

“Wow I invite a “friend” to the shower and she releases pics to the press!” Zolciak complained via Twitter. “Unreal!”

Credit: Access Atlanta (Jennifer Brett)

Photos by Media Take Out

Kandi Burruss Appears On 'Are We There Yet?'

R&B singer and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss took on real acting last night, appearing on an episode of Ice Cube’s “Are We There Yet?” on TBS.

In her role, Burruss played a single mother named Renee who used to date Nick Parsons (Terry Crews). Renee meets Nick’s wife Suzanne (Essence Atkins) at a music class where their sons are friends. Suzanne becomes paranoid that Renee's son is Nick’s son because they have many identical qualities.

In the end, following a DNA test, the child was not Nick’s, but the moments leading to the results were entertaining.

No word if Burruss will return to the show in the future.

Credit: Singers Room

RHOA Star -- Mistakenly Handcuffed By Feds

A Real Housewives of Atlanta star was targeted in a case of mistaken identity recently, TMZ has learned -- when federal agents pulled him over and cuffed him, before realizing they had the wrong guy.

A rep for the US Marshals tells TMZ, Apollo Nida -- husband of "Housewife" Phaedra Parks -- was stopped and detained outside Atlanta Thursday afternoon.

According to sources, the Georgia task force responsible for the mistake pulled Apollo over thinking he was a key player in a current investigation -- but quickly released him when they realized he wasn't the person they thought he was.

The US Marshals wouldn't comment on the open investigation -- but we're told Apollo bears a "striking resemblance" to whoever they're trying to track down.

Attempts to reach Apollo were unsuccessful.

Credit: TMZ

NeNe Leakes Plans To Be The Next Oprah

Celebrity Apprentice star NeNe Leakes wants to follow in Oprah Winfrey's footsteps by getting her own talk show, Radar Online has exclusively learned.

The reality diva has been in talks with several producers and production companies and wants to relocate from Atlanta to Miami for her new venture.

The former stripper has still not signed-up to do another series of Real Housewives Of Atlanta on the Bravo Network and is working to re-invent herself.

A source told Radar Online: "NeNe is actively shopping herself around and she wants her own chat show and if that does not happen she would like her own reality show instead.

"She was encouraged when she did some slots with local television stations in Atlanta and she thinks that she has what it takes to be the next Oprah or Wendy Williams.

"Both Bravo and VH-1 have had talks with her about several projects although Bravo were hoping to get her back for one more year on Real Housewives.

"NeNe really wants to brand herself with her own clothing, make-up and hair products lines, and she is confident she can pull it off.

"Celebrity Apprentice has given her more confidence but she sees moving to Miami as key to her success and now that her marriage is all but over she is ready to commit but she wants the right project to be in place."

Credit: Radar Online