In a July 2020 interview with Fortune, former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel said that she was “stunned” when she learned that fans wanted her to return to the series on Bravo.
“I honestly am stunned,” Frankel told Fortune. “I haven’t been watching. I saw the first episode and part of another one, so I don’t know what’s going on there. There’s a lot of talk about what’s going on there, and I read comments that people say to me, ‘Please come back,’ and ‘Please save the show.’ It’s all flattering, and I wish the girls well. I’m doing other things though, and I just don’t know how that really would fit into my life as is.”
According to Page Six, Frankel left the show in August 2019 to focus on her philanthropy, B Strong. Frankel was a fulltime cast member from the show’s first season in 2008 until its fourth season in 2011. She returned to the show in Season 7 in 2015 and left again at the end of Season 11.
Frankel Dished On Her New Podcast
In the interview with Fortune, Frankel also dished about her new podcast, “Just B.” Frankel announced the podcast on her Instagram page on July 7, writing in the caption that the podcast “will be an unfiltered, polarizing conversation with self-made moguls who have started from the bottom and are here. These fearless game changers will engage in interesting conversations about the unconventional journey to success.”
Frankel told Fortune that she has Andy Cohen to credit with the idea of starting a podcast. “He gets credit, I always like to give credit — was the one who was like, ‘Oh, my God, you need to do a podcast. It’s what you’re meant to do, born to do. I’m good, but you’re better.’ I don’t agree with that, but I don’t listen to him on the radio, so I wouldn’t even know. And I don’t mean that as a negative thing; I just don’t listen to a ton of radio or podcasts. So he urged me.”
Frankel continued, “To everyone that I really respect, I said, ‘I’m going to say a lot of crazy stuff that I feel,’ and they said it didn’t matter. This is all after I had signed on — in the beginning I didn’t ask anyone’s opinion. When I decided to do a podcast, I just decided to do a podcast. And I said, ‘Holy s–t, what are my finances, what is my 401(k), because I know that this could be the end.’ And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I’m well aware that I’m gonna say several things that are going to be very problematic for people. But I can’t do it if I’m not gonna do it. And I’m not saying that for the sake of shock value or anything. It’s just my natural opinions are going to come through.”
Rumors Sparked About Frankel Returning To The Show After This Photo
On July 15, Cohen posted a photo of him and Frankel hanging out together to Instagram. In the caption, Cohen wrote, “This #RHONY Reunion was short on drama, but lots of laughs.” Though the two are just close friends, the photo sparked rumors among fans that Frankel may be returning to the series.
Many of the comments on Cohen’s photo asked Cohen to bring her back on the show, and that they missed Frankel. One user commented, “Please give her whatever she wants to come back to rhony.”
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