In October of 2008, Bravo released its third city in The Real Housewives franchise: Atlanta. The first season only had eight episodes to its name, which included the reunion special. NeNe Leakes, Kim Zolciak-Biermann, DeShawn Snow, Lisa Wu Hartwell, and Shereé Whitfield were the infamous housewives who introduced viewers to their fabulous lives in Georgia’s capital city.
What made season 1 special was the connections the women had to each other before filming. NeNe and Kim were best friends but as the season rolled on, their friendship fell apart and alliances were made. Now that RHOA is on its 13th season, none of the original housewives are on the show. So, where are they now?
NeNe Leakes
Queen bee NeNe Leakes had one of the most controversial storylines in the first season. She was told by family members that her father is not really her father. Another man her mother knew was claiming to be her real dad, which threw NeNe for a loop. With her mother no longer alive, NeNe couldn’t ask for the truth. She ended up taking a paternity test with the two men in question and found out that the man she called dad was actually not her biological father.
After season 1, NeNe lasted seven straight seasons before taking a break and coming back for three more. These days, NeNe is still married to Greg, has gotten into acting and become a business owner.
Bryson Rashard Bryant & Brentt Leakes
In season 1, NeNe introduced her two sons, Bryson and Brentt. Bryson was graduating from high school and NeNe bought him a custom suit for school and a brand new car for graduation. Bryson was still just a kid at that time.
Sadly, Bryson has made headlines more than once. He was arrested for check forgery, possession of a controlled substance, and for having weapons on hand. He also had a baby with an ex-girlfriend and she wasn’t afraid to drag NeNe into the case when Bryson wasn’t being a present father. Bryson’s ex claimed that he would borrow money from her instead of going to his “millionaire” mother.
Kim Zolciak-Biermann
Kim Zolciak-Biermann has been through a lot during her five seasons on RHOA, but she was a beloved cast member. In season 1, she was still attached to a man known as “Big Papa” and living in a condo with her two daughters. She wanted to become a country music star and was working on her voice throughout the first season.
Once Kim broke up with Big Papa and fell in love with former NFL player Kroy Biermann, she quit the show and started her own spinoff: Don’t Be Tardy. Don’t Be Tardy is currently on its eighth season and centers around her wacky home life with her six kids and husband.
The Zolciak-Bierman Daughters
The first season of Housewives typically shows more of the housewife’s home life so fans can become familiar with their partners and kids. As a single mother to two daughters, fans were interested in Kim’s life with Brielle and Ariana. And if there’s anything fans took away from what they saw, it was that Kim was more like a friend than a mother to her daughters.
Nowadays, both Ariana and Brielle are both on Don’t Be Tardy and are starting their own business ventures through Instagram. Ariana is also doing college virtually through Georgia State University.
Shereé Whitfield
It’s easy to see why producers chose Sheree Whitfield for season 1 of RHOA. She was starting a new life post-divorce from her former NFL-playing husband and was finally able to be herself outside of her marriage. She was starting a fashion line, raising three kids, and getting to know the other ladies on her own terms. Shereé was (and is) very poised and levelheaded.
Shereé lasted four seasons before taking a break and coming back for seasons 9 and 10. But now that she’s no longer on the show, she’s still working on “SHE by Shereé,” she wrote a book and has remained friends with some of the RHOA cast.
Lisa Wu
Lisa Wu (formerly Wu-Hartwell) showed off her fabulous life in Atlanta while married to NFL player Ed Hartwell. Lisa was a straight shooter who wanted to be friends with everyone. She tried her best to get all the girls together but it didn’t always work. Viewers also saw Lisa work on her jewelry line, raise her kids, and support her husband when he was a free agent.
Lisa lasted two seasons on RHOA and came back as a guest a few times. In 2011, it was rumored that Lisa and Ed were having financial troubles and the two divorced shortly after. These days, Lisa is still working in television and doing her favorite thing: networking!
DeShawn Snow
DeShawn Snow felt like the First Lady of Atlanta when she was on the series. She was married to NBA player Eric Snow and seemed to know everyone and everything about Atlanta. With her husband away a lot for basketball (he played in Cleveland at the time of the show’s release), DeShawn focused her energy on charities and raising their children.
She and Eric divorced two years after season 1’s release when he fathered a child outside of their marriage. Today, DeShawn is living her best life, writing children’s books, and working with various foundations.
