Why Wendy Williams Had My Talk Show With Tom Arnold Killed

NeNe Leakes claims the real reason Wendy Williams reportedly ended her talk show with Tom Arnold goes beyond the haters’ 2014 Birkin sack debacle.

While the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ alum tells Page Six exclusively that ‘there’s some truth’ to the story the former ‘Roseanne’ star told us, she insists that there was an underlying implication that sparked her scathing blog post, which she and Arnold believe cost them the gig.

« Wendy saw that I defaced my Birkin bag, and yes, she posted a comment on her show’s social media page about it, » Leakes, 54, recalled.

“But that wasn’t the trigger. The trigger was what she and I said about her ‘Hot Topics’ [segment].”

Preface that she doesn’t remember Williams’ on-air comments ‘word for word’, Leakes alleged the ‘Wendy Williams Show’ host, 57, suggested she wasn’t rich enough to « disfigure » a purse that may cost upwards of $10,000.

« Kim Kardashian had done the same thing around the same time, ‘disfigured’ her [Birkin] bag,” Leakes told us. « Wendy said Kim could do it because she had the money to do such a thing, but basically I didn’t. »

The reality star doesn’t necessarily think that was her furious response to Williams – which read in part: « I’m sure you’re scared I’m taking your place (I know you heard! Ummhmm wink eye) BE AFRAID! » – that highlighted the media personality.

« I respond by saying something like, ‘Now, Wendell, I have four Birkin bags, and I can do the same,' » Leakes recalled, noting that the name ‘Wendell’ quickly went viral.

« Wendy didn’t like it, » she claimed, adding that she would never hear from the production company again.

“Debmar-Mercury made the deal and stopped all communication with me. Our deal is dead.

According to the owner of the Linnethia Lounge, she was already in talks with Debmar-Mercury – who was producing ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ at the time – when « they raised the possibility of it being a male/female duo « .

She claims that’s when Arnold was brought into the mix.

In his own interview with Page Six, the 63-year-old actor told us the handbag debacle was « an eye opener » for him and something he hoped to dive into on the first episode of his show with Leakes. However, he claimed Leakes « was unrepentant ».

Representatives for Williams did not immediately respond to our requests for comment.