Is Bethenny Frankel jealous of her former "The Real Housewives of New York City" castmates?
A new report claims the Skinnygirl mogul and former "Real Housewives of New York City" star wishes she was still getting attention on the show — and that she lost it after hearing a "RHONY" producer insist the Bravo staple, which kicked off season 12 in early April, doesn't need her.
Page Six writes that Bethenny — who quit "RHONY" in August 2019 after appearing on the show for seasons 1 through 3 and again for seasons 7 through 11 — "threw a fit" after hearing what longtime "RHONY" producer Barrie Bernstein said about her on stage at BravoCon in November 2019.
Page Six reports that when Barrie was asked what losing Bethenny for season 12 would mean for the show, the producer responded, "Bethenny of course is Bethenny. We did three seasons without her in the middle, it was successful, a lot of fun, some of the best trips. And the ladies, they've done this for a while, and they don't need Bethenny. I think this season we're really excited to shine that."
A production source told Page Six that Bethenny was was livid. "Bethenny got wind of it, got very angry and blocked [Barrie] from her phone," said the source.
After season 12's debut earlier this month, Bethenny criticized how her exit was addressed in an interview with "Extra." "The beginning of the show was the proverbial middle finger to me. The women have definitely had some unpleasant things to say about me … I wish them well," said Bethenny, who in recent weeks has been working with her charity to get more than $16 million in personal protective equipment to healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bethenny also took a dig at "RHONY" season 12 viewership, Page Six reported, saying, "The ratings overall in television have never been higher and perhaps the ratings on 'Real Housewives' aren't doing well because it's sort of not maybe the content that is inspiring people to do what they need to do right now. Or maybe they want to watch the news or something uplifting or some way to pay it forward."
According to the production source who spoke to Page Six, Bethenny is "jealous [because] she's not on still. She made a rash decision [to leave] and she misses the limelight of it all." The source also believes that Bethenny "can't believe it will be as successful without her and may be better."
Neither Bethenny nor Bravo have commented on the report, Page Six noted.
According to "RHONY" star Luann de Lesseps, season 12 is a good one in large part because Bethenny isn't around anymore. "I feel like this season, because [Bethenny's] not there, the women have a place to express themselves and show more of their personality," Luann said on Rob Shuter's "Naughty But Nice" podcast. "And I think this is the best season yet. It's like, Bethenny who? It's the best season ever!"
In an interview with "Entertainment Tonight," cast member Ramona Singer also extolled the positives of Bethenny's exit. "We couldn't really be ourselves," Ramona said of what it was like with Bethenny on the show. "She's such a big personality, she kind of took over the room. No air left for us. And I think, this season, the fans will be surprised to see a different side of most of us."
Bethenny will soon debut a new show, the business competition series "The Big Shot," which hits HBO Max in May.