RHOA's NeNe Leakes Addresses Son Bryson's Fentanyl Arrest and Drug Addiction Struggles

NeNe Leakes is getting real about her eldest son Bryson Bryant's struggles with drug addiction.

Three weeks after the 33-year-old was arrested in Georgia on multiple charges, including alleged possession of Fentanyl, The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum shared an update on how Bryson is faring behind bars.

"He's doing OK," NeNe told former RHOA producer Carlos King on the July 25 episode of his Reality with the King podcast. "He needs rehabilitation. He needs a lot of counseling. Like many families out there, I have family members that are struggling with drugs and certain addictions and he has an addiction. He's been struggling with it for years. He's been in rehab for a couple of times and he still has come back out and relapsed."

At this point, the 55-year-old admits feeling helpless when it comes to Bryson's addiction issues.

"As a mom, just to watch it, my hands are tied," NeNe continued. "He's an adult. He has three children—three beautiful children—who I adore. He has a wife. There's not much that I can do. For people who have had children or family members that have been on drugs, they know that they have to be ready. They have to simply be ready."

And the former Bravo star—who also shared son Brentt Leakes, 24, with late husband Gregg Leakes—noted she's tried many times to help Bryson get the help he needs.

"I've spent so much money on trying to get Bryson where he needs to be," NeNe shared. "But every time I've sent him off is because I said, ‘You are getting your ass up and we are sending you off.' But I learned through counseling myself that he has to say, ‘I'm ready to go,' not me making him go. So, until Bryson is ready to make a change, it's nothing I [can] do."

Though she vows never to give up on Bryson, she explained she's become desensitized after his multiple run-ins with the law.

"As a mother, I would never wash my hands of my child, right?" NeNe added. "But, I'm kind of numb to it because it's been happening for so many years. I'm just really kind of numb to the situation."

Bryson was arrested in Lawrenceville, Ga. June 3 after authorities who approached him in his parked car found "a small plastic bag that contained a white powdery substance," which was tested and allegedly "provided a presumptive positive for Fentanyl," according to an incident report obtained by E! News.

He further identified himself to police officers as his younger half-brother and provided authorities with a false address.

Bryson, who has been in a Gwinnett County jail since his arrest, is facing charges of violation of probation, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, loitering/prowling, as well as giving a false name, address or birthdate to law enforcement officials, E! News has confirmed via court documents.

E! News has reached out to NeNe for comment and has not heard back. At this time, it's not known if Bryson has an attorney representing him.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

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