NeNe Leakes on her 'Controversial' 'New Normal' Role

If Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes was looking to make a big splash with her next primetime move, she picked the right project. NeNe’s turn as Rocky on NBC’s The New Normal doesn’t debut until September, but the comedy about a gay couple looking for a surrogate is already generating headlines.

"The New Normal is something that is not traditional," NeNe tells The Insider, promising, "It's gonna be lots of laughs. There may even be a tear. There will definitely be drama. It's gonna be a great show."

But NeNe also predicts not everyone will receive the show with open arms. "I do expect it to be controversial," the RHOA star continues. "Years ago, people weren’t taking too kind to seeing gay couples together. Today, it’s a little bit more accepted [but] there’s still a group of people who still aren’t accepting it, so it’s definitely going to be something different. That’s why we’re called The New Normal."



So far, NeNe’s right on the money. One Million Moms is already boycotting The New Normal for being "harmful to our society," but show creator Ryan Murphy – who also cast NeNe as Coach Roz on Glee -- has a surprise in store for them. "Ellen Barkin's character is a member of the Million Moms!" he reveals. "I think their points of view are delivered with sensitivity and a certain amount of voracity by Ms. Barkin. I think if they watched it, they would like it."

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