Charles Sykes/Bravo(ATLANTA) — It’s the end of an era — for now. NeNe Leakes has revealed that she will not return the The Real Housewives of Atlanta for Season 13. 

Leakes, 52, who was apart of the original cast when the show began in 2008, shared her decision in a YouTube video on Thursday titled, “Listen Closely, I got something to tell you.”

“Thank you to all of you guys that have been showing me a lot of love and support as of late…” the reality star began. “I have been on an extremely, extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation. There has been a lot of emotion flying on both sides. It has been hard, and I have made the very hard and difficult decision to not be a part of Real Housewives of Atlanta season 13.”

“It wasn’t an easy decision for me,” Leakes continued. “It was hard. I started on The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2008. We took off like a rocket… You could have never told me that I would start on this little show and it still be going strong 13, 14 years later. And it is. I’m just so happy that I can say that I was a part of a genre that opened up doors for Black ensemble reality shows to step up and be a part of what we all now love so much, reality TV.”

She ended the video promising viewers, “I will see you again. Real soon.”

Whether or not that means she will hold a peach again remains to be seen but Bravo seems open to the idea. 

In a statement to People, a rep for the network wished Leakes well and added, “She’s been instrumental since the start and will truly be missed, and maybe one day she’ll hold the peach again.”

By Danielle Long
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