NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak were once sworn enemies, but the two have changed their tune ... now acting as a support system for each other during really tough times.
NeNe was out shopping on Rodeo Drive in Bev Hills and told us she'd recently reached out to her fellow "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star in the midst of her messy divorce with Kroy Biermann.
NeNe tells us while the two chatted, it's still hard to tell exactly how Kim's doing behind the scenes -- every divorce is hard, especially with kids involved.
Fans of the show know NeNe and Kim haven't always seen eye to eye, but NeNe tells us Kim reached out to her during one of her low points when her husband Gregg died in 2021, so it felt right to reciprocate the love.
We've broken a bunch of stories about the huge mess between Kim and Kroy ever since she filed for divorce in May. Since then, there's been a big fight over custody of their kids, with both sides waging war ... Kroy's asking for sole legal and physical.
Kim called the police last month, -- claiming Kroy threatened to file a kidnapping report on a family friend who took their kid to a rodeo. Clearly, there's no sign of things easing up.
BTW, we didn't just talk Kim with NeNe ... asking if she'd ever consider a return to 'RHOA.' She, naturally, threw a little shade at the show's ratings before revealing one thing that MIGHT make her consider a return ... check out the clip to find out!