Frankel speculated that returning for E!'s upcoming docuseries would "create too much resentment within the universe"
Credit: Hoda Davaine/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Bethenny Frankel is addressing her absence from E!’s upcoming docuseries, which features original cast members from Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York City
- In a recent social media post, Frankel explained that there were several reasons why returning to television didn’t work with her lifestyle anymore, including money and business ventures
- Frankel, who previously appeared on RHONY for eight seasons, further said that she is “happy for these women” and the new project
As several original cast members of The Real Housewives of New York City gear up for their return to reality TV, Bethenny Frankel says she will not be along for the ride.
Last month, E! revealed its upcoming docuseries with the working title, The Golden Life, which is set to follow RHONY OGs Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon, Sonja Morgan and Dorinda Medley. While the SkinnyGirl founder, 55, starred on the Bravo franchise with those women for several years, she explained in a video posted to her social media on Tuesday, March 3, why she decided not to take part in the spinoff.
“It wouldn't be good for my business,” she began. “It used to be good for business when I was promoting my own business, but now that I work with a lot of other brands and have different types of equity deals and different types of partners, they don't look highly upon that genre. They kind of like that it’s in the rear view.”
She continued: “Number two, despite some of the women asking me if I would come back, the amount of money that it would take for me to come back, that E! could presumably never pay, would make the other Housewives resent me so much, which did happen before.”
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Frankel, who appeared on RHONY seasons 1-3 and 7-11, claimed that her former co-stars asked her to return to the series in the past, but the compensation she requested caused issues behind the scenes.
“They were trying to renegotiate their contracts, and one of their big points was, ‘Just give me a dollar more than Bethenny Frankel gets,’ ” she alleged. “It would just create too much resentment within the universe, and I'm really happy for these women, and I want them to thrive, succeed and I want the show to do well."
"I think it was a savage, amazing move by E!," Frankel noted of the women moving to another network before adding: “Also, I like my life now. I like not having to do anything anyone else tells me to do or be anywhere anyone else tells me to be. Protecting my peace and this stage of life is very important to me.”
Credit: Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
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Frankel’s comments come after a shakeup in The Golden Life cast, when Jill Zarin was fired on Feb. 10 over racist comments she made about Bad Bunny's 2026 Super Bowl halftime show performance just days after the show’s initial announcement. In a since-deleted video posted to her Instagram on Super Bowl Sunday, Zarin called Bad Bunny's performance "the worst halftime show ever."
"It’s 250 years that we’re celebrating right now in the United States, and I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish," she said.
It was later confirmed that Medley would be taking her spot.
"Well, the rumors are true! I will be joining the women on The Golden Life in Palm Beach,” Medley said in a statement on Feb. 17. “After decades of friendship, and navigating life’s ups and downs together, it will be nice to reconnect with my ‘sisters.’ I am so excited to celebrate and share the next chapter of our lives!”
According to the show’s official press release, the “iconic” N.Y.C. friend group is trading in the Big Apple for Palm Beach, Florida, for a 10-episode season that is “sun-soaked with a sliver of shade.” It is due to start filming this spring.
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