DeShawn Snow: The Peacemaker

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DeShawn Snow admits that she’s made mistakes. While her heart is always in the right place, she has a tendency to think big without looking at the whole picture. Her charity auction might have been a debacle, but the NBA wife sees it more as a minor bump in the road to fulfilling her ultimate goal of helping to empower and educate young Black girls. ESSENCE.com caught up with Snow to hear what she thought about the tension between NeNe and Kim, to get her take on Kim’s “chicken” comment, and to talk about what’s in store for the reunion show.

ESSENCE.COM: You’ve been the least vocal and visible in the press for this show. Why?
DESHAWN SNOW: When the other women did a press trip to New York City, I was in New Zealand on a trip that I had scheduled prior to all this. I went with my bishop to a conference celebrating the ten-year anniversary of Destiny Church.

ESSENCE.COM: How do you feel about the direction of the show?
SNOW: Honestly, it’s a hit. It has been a great experience. Before we went into it, my husband, Eric, was preparing me and making sure I understood that whenever you do something like this you open up your life for people to say whatever they want. I was a little taken aback by that. Anybody that knows me, knows the real me and they know how much I do for others. This experience has also been wonderful for my foundation. I’ve received so many new partners, donations, and just people who support my vision.

ESSENCE.COM: Which of the ladies do you feel closest to?
SNOW: During taping and even after, I would say NeNe. She and I text or talk to each other daily.

ESSENCE.COM: What do you think about all the drama between Kim and NeNe?
SNOW: It’s nonsense. Even with the whole limo thing. I like NeNe because she’s very real. Whatever she has to say, she’ll say it in front of your face, but you’ll find that NeNe has a genuine heart. It was my birthday celebration and you can even see me cracking up in the limo, but it wasn’t intended to be something harmful. NeNe wasn’t trying to hurt Kim’s feelings. It was something that she had already said to Kim, but really it should not have left the limo, and it wasn’t me or Eric who said anything. The whole thing was just blown way out proportion.

ESSENCE.COM: Were you disappointed that the ladies didn’t come to your sunset barbecue?
SNOW: When I watched the show and saw that they didn’t want to come, I didn’t understand why they just didn’t say that to me. It wasn’t that big of a deal. We’re all grown. I mean, did I have to plan this dinner? No, that was just me trying to be nice, but I’m not the type to get caught up with all that.

ESSENCE.COM: How did you feel about Kim saying she didn’t want to sit around eating chicken with NeNe?
SNOW: Yeah, I heard that. I didn’t even have chicken! I had lamb chops. NeNe brings that up and Kim explains herself by saying she didn’t mean anything by it. I don’t think she did. She said when she thinks of barbecue, she thinks of barbecue chicken. She seemed really surprised when NeNe mentioned it. Kim doesn’t come off like that.

ESSENCE.COM: You mentioned that being an NBA wife is better than being an NFL wife because of the stability. Can you explain?
SNOW: Lisa said she heard the NBA wives are [snooty], but I never said that NBA wives were better. It’s not that one is better, it’s just different. Like I said, if I [were married to a football player], I would be alright but it would be a different mindset.

ESSENCE.COM: Is there anything you would have done differently regarding your charity auction?
SNOW: Yes, a couple of things. Yes, nobody bought anything in the auction, but the party itself was a success. Could I have done things differently? Of course, and I see that. But anyone who knows me knows I always dream big and think big. I didn’t raise $1 million dollars for my girls and that was upsetting. But once all the checks came in, we raised close to $30,000 and broke even. Plus, I got a whole bunch of people offering to do fundraising for me and donating money from watching the show.

ESSENCE.COM: Can you give us any scoop on the reunion show?
SNOW: A lot of things are brought out and questions are clarified and answered. It’s pretty wild, so you know it’s not going to disappoint at all.