The Big Picture
- Bethenny Frankel’s protests for a reality TV union have made her unpopular with Bravo and Andy Cohen, as she has “set fire to the entire castle.”
- NBCUniversal’s use of NDAs in reality TV contracts has come under scrutiny following legal action by Frankel’s lawyers, leading Bravo to defend itself and clarify that NDAs do not prevent discussion of unlawful acts in the workplace.
- Fellow Real Housewives such as Nene Leakes and Lisa Vanderpump have shown support for Bethenny’s fight for improved payment rights for reality TV talents.
Now an ex-Housewife, Bethenny Frankel, used to be a big part of Real Housewives of New York. It is fair to say that she has experienced enough of the reality TV industry to have a right to speak about the ways it needs to be improved. Bethenny was inspired to take a stand after the striking SAG-AFTRA and WGA. Seeing them she became vocal demanding the need for a reality TV union to protect the payment rights of the talents. Her protests are not just talks, she has also been working with a legal team for measurable actions. Many of her fellow Housewives from across the franchise have verbalized their support for what Bethenny has been fighting for. To mention a few, Nene Leaks, Carole Radziwill, and Lisa Vanderpump are three of the Bravo Housewives who have been very open about their support for Bethenny.
Bethenny Frankel Says Bravo and Andy Cohen Despise Her
Bethenny recently appeared on Rob Lowe‘s podcast Literally! to talk about everything that has happened and everything that she has in store for us. She discussed how her protests impacted her relationship with Bravo and its production team. She said, “I can tell you with great certainty that everyone at Bravo likely despises me, including Andy Cohen, because it’s very personal and because they have to protect the realm.” She continued, noting that it makes sense for them to despise her because she brought issues to the forefront.
She referenced Game of Thrones and compared herself to Khaleesi as she said, “Instead of just counting my money and not pissing anybody off, I chose to, you know, shake that whole thing up and burn bridges and torch the kingdom, Khaleesi-style.” She might not be entirely wrong with this assumption because when she appeared on Andy Cohen‘s talk show Watch What Happens Live in 2022, the two openly talked about their relationship. And Andy called Frankel ‘toxic’ and that she was ‘trashing’ the show.
NBCUniversal Forced to Release a Statement
The fight that Bethenny started has Bravo under fire. Earlier in August, her lawyers claimed that the NDA that NBCUniversal makes its stars sign stops them from pubically discussing mistreatments on set and is a threat for them. Following this several legal letters were sent to NBCUniversal to ensure fair treatment of their reality TV stars. They were even questioned regarding the details of their NDAs. The pressure was enough that Bravo had to step up to defend itself by releasing a statement. Bravo clapped back with: “Confidentiality clauses are standard practice in reality programming to prevent disclosure of storylines prior to air, They are not intended to prevent disclosure by cast and crew of unlawful acts in the workplace, and they have not been enforced in that manner. To be clear: any current or former cast or crew is free to discuss and disclose any allegedly unlawful acts in the workplace, such as harassment or discrimination, or any other conduct they have reason to believe is inappropriate.”
