NeNe Leakes, seen onstage during the "College Hill Cast Meet & Greet" in June 2022 in Los Angeles, has launched "The NeNe Leakes Show" on YouTube. Paras Griffin via Getty Images

If I have any real complaint about “The NeNe Leakes Show,” it’s that her song, “Come and Get This Hunni,” was not made its official theme.

The track is funny, catchy and, after it recently made an appearance in my TikTok algorithm, I can confirm it still slaps. It also is the perfect reminder that Leakes, the breakout star of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” can make any opportunity work in her favor.

When it comes to lending her talents to talk TV via her YouTube show, however, the chance is coming a decade later than many of her fans had anticipated. A year and a half ago, Leakes addressed the rumor that Wendy Williams was behind her losing out on a talk show gig with TV syndication company Debmar-Mercury in 2014 due to a dispute over a Birkin bag trend. Yes, that is as silly as it sounds, but apparently not silly enough for the company that also produced “The Wendy Williams Show” at the time to back out of the project.

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The deal, according to Leakes, “went super left” after her back-and-forth with Williams.

More recently, on an episode of “The NeNe Leakes Show” featuring Tamar Braxton, Leakes shared that when producers were first casting talk show “The Real,” she passed on a spot that ultimately went to comedian Loni Love. Leakes’ ability to maintain composure as Braxton repeatedly referred to her former co-worker Love as “Big Black Cadillac” deserves applause. But the fact that she could still make the episode funny without being offensive is why she’s such a natural for the format and how all of this is long overdue.

Overall, “The NeNe Leakes Show” is an entertaining work in progress that is best enjoyed when it lives up to the caption she posted on the Instagram announcement of the series: “We bout to have a timeeeeee talkin a whole lotta sh*t.”

My favorite episode by far is Episode 5, a one-on-one conversation with her “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Cynthia Bailey.

Bailey is now a podcaster herself, as co-host of “Humble Brag With Crystal and Cynthia” with “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”alum Crystal Kung Minkoff. As with Leakes’ show, the podcast is the most entertaining when it’s giving us something that reminds us of what made the hosts famous on Bravo.

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Leakes and Bailey were having a time and talking shit on “The NeNe Leakes Show,” which made the hour feel like an extended “Real Housewives” scene.

Leakes could easily get away with just talking mess with her friends every week, but, based on the episodes that have aired thus far, she and her producers are testing out different ideas. 

In some cases, it means bringing in blogger Michelle “ATLien” Brown to discuss Porsha Williams’ divorce from Simon Guobadia and Wendy Williams’ conservatorship. Or playing games like “What Would You Do?” with singer and reality TV star Nivea. In others, it’s something that I can only describe as a monologue that made me go all the way back to the 1990s and think of Mother Love’s talk show “Forgive or Forget.” 

Most of the interview with Xscape’s LaTocha Scott was Leakes replying “Really?” to so much of what the rest of us have known for a while. 

Leakes is not Barbara Walters, but the show is entertaining and has potential all the same. If I could offer some unsolicited advice, it would be for Leakes to look at more of the commentary about the show online.

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In “Life of NeNe,” another series she posts on YouTube, she blamed the crew when addressing complaints about her makeup on some of the episodes. I know it’s Leakes’ money, but if there are mistakes made behind the scenes, vocalize them behind the scenes. If not for good manners, do it for your own sanity because internet strangers will never stop talking crazy about you. 

A prime example is one comment posted underneath the newest episode of “The NeNe Leakes Show”: “LAST WEEK y’all said her hands didn’t match her face. Now she got on gloves. Nene hears everything…” I only know about this ’cause someone took a screen grab and it was sent to some of my group texts for giggles.

Leakes should also consider doing another podcast. Her “Me and My Homegirl”podcast with “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” star Sierra Gates came and went, but that was for the best. Gates is not a conversationalist, so the duo made as much sense to me as sugar in grits.

Leakes should try again as it’s good talk show training. If she can’t find someone to co-host — ideally someone who routinely speaks in complete sentences on multiple topics — just do it solo.

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Lastly, she should just talk to people she knows on “The NeNe Leakes Show.”

Famed reality TV producer and podcaster Carlos King, who appeared as Leakes’ first guest, got her to be candid about their love lives and sexual preferences in their chat. Former “Flavor of Love” star Deelishis, one of her most recent guests, used to be Leakes’ neighbor, and because of the familiarity, ended up getting Leakes to share more about her last days with her late husband, Greg.

Keep trying the monologues, too, Mother Leakes.

I don’t know if Leakes will ever find her way back to “Real Housewives.” I’d like to believe she eventually will.

But the truth is, there has not been enough NeNe Leakes on our screens in recent years. Thank goodness she finally took matters into her own hands.

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