Bravo’s Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip is back, this year, with the unanticipated return of “the tastiest peach in Atlanta,” Nene Leakes. The undisputed housewife, known for being a core reason for turning the Atlanta Housewives franchise into what we know it to be today, is making a return to the network. Leakes made the announcement via Instagram Wednesday afternoon.
She says in the video, “This has been a very long journey. I am happy, overjoyed, to say that I will be returning to Bravo.” She went on to say that she couldn’t believe it, and was “so happy.” Most fans will recall that Leakes made her exit from the reality show in 2020 after season 12. Following her departure, she filed a tumultuous discrimination lawsuit against the network and its executives, including Andy Cohen, which was later dismissed.
Irrespective of the lawsuit, Leakes had also discussed at length on multiple podcasts, including Bethenny Frankel’s, about the double standards for housewives, especially between predominantly Black and white franchises.
Now, she’ll be making her homecoming with UGT. After Nene made her announcement, Andy Cohen also confirmed the news on the latest episode of Watch What Happens Live. In his announcement of the new season, it was dubbed the “Roaring 20th,” according to a press release, because the monumental upcoming season is “20 years in the making.”
The upcoming season will welcome seven housewives who have helped define respective franchises, including Porsha Williams of RHOA, and Gizelle Bryant of RHOP. Other castmates include Vicki Gunvalson, Luann de Lesseps, Teresa Giudice, Kyle Richards, and Lisa Barlow. If the lineup tells you anything about what’s to come, the season is full of divas, all under one roof.
The series is slated to include a handful of other housewives, including some fan favorites. Not to mention that the series will make stops in franchise cities including Orange County, Beverly Hills, Miami, and New York City. According to the release, these stops will “pay tribute to the past, embrace the present and look toward the many miles still ahead.
As far as what to expect, we’ll be getting jokes, reunions, and of course you can’t forget the drama.
For longtime viewers—particularly those who watched Leakes help elevate Atlanta into a cultural phenomenon—her return represents more than nostalgia. Her return gives fans hope that she could potentially return to Atlanta Housewives, and reclaim her rightful crown. Before the video ended, Nene also added that she was grateful to both Porsha and Phaedra Parks for helping by keeping her name alive in board rooms to get her back on our screens.
It wouldn’t be completely far-fetched to see this redemption arc, considering Parks made a similar return to the network in recent seasons, making her entry point via Married To Medicine, and making a lateral transition back to the Housewives franchise. Could UGT be Nene’s foot in the door?
Only time will tell, but fans have already shared excitement in the comments about her return. One fan wrote, “Now this is the news we’ve been waiting for,” while another fan said “The QUEEN IS BACK! We need you in the clubhouse 1 on 1 ASAP.”
A release date has not been announced for the new season of ‘Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip,’ but will air later on this year. Episodes available to stream next day on Peacock.