Before Leakes met the producers of
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, she had appeared on TV shows like
The Parkers thanks to meeting casting director
Robi Reed-Humes. In 2003, she landed a minor role as a stripper in the film
The Fighting Temptations, starring
Cuba Gooding, Jr. and
Beyoncé. However, none of her scenes are present in the final edit of the movie. In 2008, Leakes made her first appearance on
The Real Housewives of Atlanta as an original cast member. After the first season, she co-wrote the book
Never Make The Same Mistake Twice with
Denene Millner. Leakes was a main cast member for the first seven seasons. In June 2015, Leakes announced that she would not be returning for the show's eighth season. However, Leakes was featured in season 8 of
The Real Housewives of Atlanta in a supporting role, reportedly earning her full salary from the previous seven seasons. Leakes later returned to the show as a full-time housewife for the tenth through twelfth seasons (2017–20). In 2020, Leakes announced that she would not return to
The Real Housewives of Atlanta for its thirteenth season. Leakes also transitioned into scripted television, playing the secretary Rocky Roades in the
NBC comedy
The New Normal.
Ryan Murphy cast Leakes in his series
Glee in the third season in a recurring role as synchronized swim coach and Olympic bronze-medalist Roz Washington. In 2011, Leakes was a contestant in the
eleventh instalment of
Donald Trump's
NBC series
Celebrity Apprentice. During the tenth episode of
Celebrity Apprentice, after arguments with fellow cast member
Star Jones, Leakes walked off the show. Leakes has guest-hosted
Anderson Live,
The Talk, and appeared in ''
Betty White's Off Their Rockers and The Price Is Right. On March 4, 2014, she was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete in Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 18 of Dancing with the Stars''. She was paired with professional dancer,
Tony Dovolani. Leakes and Dovolani were eliminated in Week 7 of competition (Latin Night) on April 28, 2014, finishing in 7th place. Leakes played the Mistress of Sensuality in
Las Vegas for resident show
Cirque du Soleil: Zumanity. She made her
Broadway debut on November 25, 2014, as Madame in ''
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. She played the role until the production closed on January 3, 2015. In November 2015, she was cast as Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago'' on Broadway for four weeks. Leakes released a song, entitled "Come and Get This Hunni", in April 2020. In January 2024, Leakes was announced as a co-host on
Zeus Network's
Baddies East reunion by cast member
Natalie Nunn. In March 2024, Leakes starred in
Hunting Housewives, opposite
Denise Richards,
Melyssa Ford, and
Kym Johnson-Herjavec for
Lifetime. In January 2026, it was announced that Leakes would be appearing as a guest in the fifth season of
The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip. She is set to appear during the Atlanta portion of the trip, marking her first appearance on Bravo since her exit in 2020. ==Other ventures==