‘RHOA’ Star Kim Fields Insists She Is Not NeNe Leakes Replacement, Where Has She Been Since ‘The Facts Of Life’?

The upcoming season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta is set to enter new territory with the addition of Kim Fields, who enters the show following the departure of NeNe Leakes. Although she is certainly not afraid to voice her opinion, The Facts of Life star recently assured fans that she is in no way a replacement for Leakes.

“I didn’t feel like there was any sense of trying to fill a void, and god in heaven knows I never looked at myself as any sort of replacement,” Fields told ET Online in the interview. “Not as a friend, not for a TV personality. NeNe Leakes is irreplaceable, so I don’t think that there’s any sense of, you know, trying to fill a void.”

If she isn’t acting as a replacement for Leakes, then what is her role in the series? According to Fields, she has become somewhat of a motherly figure to her fellow co-stars. “I don’t know that I wanted to be the mother bear,” she shared. “I think that I’ve always been a nurturing kind of person … I don’t know if that’s my role, and in terms of fitting in, I think I’m, honestly, still finding my way,”

Meanwhile, Fields has come a long way since her days as Tootie on the hit series, The Facts of Life. With that in mind, Fields has managed to accomplish a variety of different things while remaining relevant through several decades’ worth of TV.

According to Bustle, Fields decided to take a break and finish her education after the end of The Facts Of Life back in 1988. To that end, Fields received a bachelor’s degree in communication and film, which led to her creation of a production company, which she named Victory Entertainment, Inc.

After graduating from Pepperdine University, Fields made numerous appearance on TV from 1992 through 1995. These included cameos on hit TV shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin.

Speaking of her re-emergence in TV, Kim Fields went on to star once again in her very own successful TV series, Living Single. In the series, which aired from 1993 through 1998, Fields starred alongside Queen Latifah.

As if getting a degree and starring in multiple hit TV series isn’t enough, Fields also manage to try her hand in music and directing. In fact, after Living Single ended in 1998, Fields played a significant role in the R&B group Impromp2. Additionally, she also dabbled in directing several different TV episodes for All That!, Kenan & Kel, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, and Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns.

Meanwhile, back in 2007, Fields tied the knot with Christopher Morgan. The couple currently have had two sons together, one born in 2007, the other in 2013.

Clearly, Fields has already had an incredible career that is not typical with most child stars. Now, Fields is ready to venture into new territory in her role on RHOA. While it is still to be seen how she interacts with the other Housewives on the show, it is clear that she isn’t about to take any nonsense from her co-stars.

According to E! Online, this was never clearer than in Field’s debut episode, in which she stood toe to toe with Kenya’s best quips. Although she might not consider herself a replacement for Leakes, Fields has certainly cemented herself as a fan favorite and will definitely be fun to watch as the drama gets ramped up during this season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Fans can watch Fields when the Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sunday nights on Bravo.

Tell us! Are you missing NeNe Leakes so far this season on RHOA? Are you loving the addition of Kim Fields? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image via Bravo]