In the days leading up to Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's televised sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey on CBS on Sunday, March 7, supporters and detractors alike have been weighing in on (and arguing about) everything from the couple's controversial decision to step back from their royal posts to their participation in the interview itself.
As is often the case with the Sussexes, much of that attention has been directed at Meghan, particularly after The Times of London reported the former "Suits" star was accused of bullying staff in 2018. Meghan has denied these claims, with her lawyers slamming them as "a calculated smear campaign."
On Twitter over the weekend, Bethenny Frankel joined the conversation, casting a suspicious eye in the direction of the duchess, while asserting that she gives the Duke of Sussex "a break," even though he stands to benefit just as Meghan does from the media deals and PR the couple have generated since relocating to California.
Bethenny's Twitter rant began with her comparing Harry and Meghan's interview to Monica Lewinsky's sit-down with Barbara Walters in the late '90s. "Not since @MonicaLewinsky interview, have people been obsessed with a young female interview like this #MARRY interview. Remember the famous lip gloss?" Bethenny tweeted.
The post's focus on Meghan confused at least one Twitter user, who asked, "Did I miss the new hashtag for Meghan & Harry, cause that's the only interview I'M waiting to see."
Bethenny responded by acknowledging she "made up" the "marry" hashtag. Rather than explain why she failed to mention Harry, who also spoke with Oprah for the special, Bethenny plugged her "Just Be With Bethenny" podcast.
The tweets generated a back-and-forth among Bethenny's followers.
"I'll pass on that [interview] thanks, my empathy is now with the staff who were bullied [by Meghan]," one user griped.
Another chimed in with screenshots of negative headlines about Meghan. "Yeah cause the staff were so respectful of her," the person added. That's when Bethenny jumped back into the discussion.
"Cry me a river…," she tweeted, clearly not won over by teaser clips from the interview that have shown Meghan saying she and Harry are speaking out now because they no longer feel silenced, as they once did.
"… The plight of being a game show host, fairly unknown actress," Bethenny continued, "to suffering in a palace, w tiaras & 7 figure weddings for TWO WHOLE YEARS to being a household name w @Oprah on speed dial, fetching 7 m for interviews, hundreds of millions in media deals. #MARRY."
When someone else suggested that because of what Harry's mom, Princess Diana "endured," the world should "at least cut Harry a break here."
Bethenny replied, "I [100%] give Harry a break. This isn't the way to generate less press & cannot be filed under the guise of wanting privacy to prevent a repeat of previous events," before posting about her podcast once more. "… If you hate me for saying it here, don't listen to my podcast," she warned.
Finally, the former "Real Housewives" star explained why she takes issue with Meghan's post-royal life tell-all.
"I chose reality tv, to work towards making $, to be scrutinized & criticized," Bethenny tweeted. "I took the trappings & the beatings along with it. It's a rose w petals & thorns. People beg to enter the often toxic institution I signed up for. That WAS the life I chose."
She added: "You can't play stupid & smart."