NeNe Leakes Opens Up About Son’s Addiction and Recent Arrest

NeNe Leakes says her son Bryson Bryant “needs rehabilitation” after his recent arrest for felony drug possession.

During the “Reality with the King” podcast hosted by Carlos King, the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum opened up about her oldest child, who is currently being held at Gwinnett County Jail after his arrest July 3 in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Leakes said she spoke to Bryson and he is doing “okay,” but added that he needs “a lot of counseling."

“Like many families out there, I have family members that are struggling with drugs and certain addictions. He has an addiction. He’s been struggling with it for years. He’s been in rehab a couple of times, and he still has come back out and relapsed,” NeNe told King, a former Bravo producer.

People reports Bryant faces multiple charges, including possession of a scheduled II controlled substance, loitering/prowling, violation of probation, and providing a false name, address, or birthdate.

On the podcast, Leakes said she has “spent so much money on trying to get Bryson where he needs to be,” but there’s only so much she can do if her son isn’t ready to seek help.

"As a mom just to watch it, my hands are tied," she elaborated. "[There's] not much that I can do. For people who have had children or family members that have been on drugs, they know that they have to be ready. They have to simply be ready."

The Bravolebrity admitted her son struggling “for so many years” has made her “kind of numb to the situation.”

Bryson was regularly featured on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” during NeNe’s decade-long stint on the Bravo series. King asked Leakes if she thinks her son growing up in front of the cameras played a role in his current issues.

NeNe said that while she doesn’t think it helped, she also doesn’t believe it’s the “sole cause of it.”