Will The Real Nene Leakes Please Stand Up

Most everyone is familiar with “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. In Stevenson’s story, Dr. Jekyll is a kinder, mild-mannered character who actually transforms from use of a laboratory elixir into his darker alter-ego, Mr. Hyde. The story truly explores good and evil as aspects of human nature. And even though the book is now over 120 years old, its title is still used to describe instances of extreme mood swings. The reason I believe this story has resonated so strongly is because it continues to describe the struggle within all of us -- the struggle of our spirits against our egos.

Our spiritual sides are where good can be found. It is because of our spirits that we seek to offer love and compassion. And our spiritual compasses point us in the direction of what is right and good. And within all of us resides an ego from which our selfishness arises. It is because of our egos that we seek to withhold from others and to hoard for ourselves. And for most of us, the battle between ego and spirit is constant and unrelenting, which brings me to the topic of today’s post. Is there a Mr. Hyde in all of us?

Last week, I watched the season two finale of the Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA). This past season brought to mind a question I had asked years ago while working on “Soul Food: the series.” It was my first time transitioning from corporate America into the world of TV production, and I was somewhat stunned by the awful examples of human behavior I was made privy to. On several occasions, I witnessed grown people throwing tantrums for the most ridiculous of things, whether it was condiments, wanted or unwanted on their sandwiches or that someone had parked in the wrong spot. I have seen or heard it all, from managers using extreme profanities to curse out their assistants and/or colleagues, to coworkers having knock down brawls over how a birthday cake was served.

One of my biggest resources while on the show was a woman in the production office at Paramount Pictures. Her duties were to support all of Paramount’s TV shows, which meant her experience was quite vast. I knew such a position was very stressful, but she always resolved issues with dignity and poise. As such I thought her wise enough to answer the following question:

“Are monster personalities attracted to the entertainment industry or are they created by it?”

She didn’t hesitate with her answer, which was “I believe people come to the industry as they are.” In other words, the seeds of awful behavior had always been there, but the ego-driven entertainment industry was fertile soil in which those seeds could grow. For many, but not all, success in the entertainment industry was the elixir that transformed them from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde.

Nene Leakes of the RHOA caused this question to resurface in my mind. In the show’s first season, she was the personality who seemed the most real. It felt as if she spoke the truth even when that made her seem unpopular. From all accounts, she became the media favorite of the show. When the series returned for a second season, Nene had a new haircut, a new address and a new attitude. Even her walk had changed into a slick person’s stroll. She strutted around as if she were a contestant on America’s Next Top Model. It soon became clear that Mrs. Leakes had no idea what had made her popular in the show’s first season. Somehow it seemed she had caught word of who the show represented her to be and she was out there trying to live up to the persona. The Dr. Jekyll that Nene was in the first season had transformed into Mr. Hyde for the show’s return.

In the second season, she ran from episode to episode telling folks what she thought of them, but it all seemed false and somewhat contrived. Her appeal as the person who spoke the truth had vanished. And now that I reside in Atlanta, I have heard Mrs. Leakes on local radio stations where she represents herself as the “Realest Housewife of Atlanta.”

While it is disappointing to discover someone is not who you thought they were, I hold no ill-will toward people like Nene. The truth of who the real Nene is shines apparent. Nene (or Linnethia) is still that young girl who was betrayed by her mother and father who had both deceived her about the identity of her true father. To this day, Nene is searching for the validation that her parents should have given her. Hopefully, the players on these reality shows will have the opportunity to see themselves and to grow spiritually rather than egotistically. Not all of us are fortunate enough to be able to observe our own lives as if we were outsiders. But the question that we all have to ask ourselves is “What will it be today – Jekyll or Hyde?”