Welp… Kenya Moore is back and the numbers reflect it.

According to several online sources, Kenya Moore’s season 12 return garnered the lowest ratings ever for a season premiere of Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Details below…

ShowbuzzDaily reports that the popular reality show dropped to 1.90 million viewers, a marketable decrease compared to season’s past.

In comparison, Season 11 premiered at 1.93 which the drop isn’t substantial, it’s still DECREASE nonetheless.

Kenya Moore fans have claimed that her return would catapult the show into the stratosphere as she “twirled” her way back onto our screens after sitting out a season.  

[Sidebar: Messy Youtube vloggers being added into the mix also gave the show a certain low-grade love & hop hop quality… but I digress.]

Nene Leakes’ absence for the jumpstart of season 12 was also presumably a factor.

The OG housewife, while spotted in the opening scenes, didn’t make a storyline appearance and fans are chomping at the bit for her return.

There have been several rumors about Nene Leakes’ being suspended and/or totally refusing to film with her co-workers. The latter would be my guess being that Leakes “unfollowed” nearly all of her castmates following the season 11 reunion.

Blogger LoveBScott was first to report rumors that Leakes was suspended due to “getting physical with the crew and poor behavior”, while RadarOnline reports that Leakes REFUSED to film with her backstabbing cast members and was a no-show to several tapings.

“NeNe was refusing to film with Kenya [Moore] and Porsha [Williams] and she will not appear on the first two episodes of the show,” an insider snitched to Radar.

Nevertheless, both rumors were shot down by Leakes’ representatives who state:

I can say with authority that there is absolutely no truth to this. The only reason why she’s not currently shooting is because she was still in active negotiations with her contract.

What are your thoughts about the #RHOA ratings drop?