Bethenny Frankel Discloses The RHONJ Star She Considered Doing A Podcast With
Former "Real Housewives of New York City" star Bethenny Frankel is carving out quite the space for herself in the podcast world. She launched "Just B" in 2020, and now she's revisiting the Bravo reality show that helped her find her fanbase in the first place with her new iHeartRadio re-watch series "ReWives."
Frankel's fiance, Paul Bernon, deserves some credit for her latest business endeavor. Frankel recalled to People, "He said, 'You're the Tom Brady of Housewives, so you should be breaking down the game." On her Instagram Story, Frankel further explained why she's decided to dedicate so much time to discussing a job she walked away from. "This is my perspective, my story, my show, my experience," she shared, (via Just Jared). She pointed out that she didn't get to choose her "RHONY" castmates or where episodes were filmed, and she hinted that she wasn't always happy with the final results of the crew's editing. So as she re-watches the show, she can provide missing context for scenes and spill some piping hot tea that will likely stir up plenty of drama with her fellow "Real Housewives" alums.
In fact, Luann de Lesseps has already expressed her distaste for "ReWives." On "Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino," she said of Frankel, "A disgruntled housewife doing a 'Housewives' podcast, I don't think anybody wants to listen to." We're guessing de Lesseps won't get added to Frankel's list of options if she ever revisits her original plan to work with a co-host.
Bethenny Frankel decided against asking Caroline Manzo to be her co-host
On "Just B," Bethenny Frankel revealed that she considered asking a fellow housewife to co-host "ReWives" with her. "Shout out to Caroline Manzo; if I ever did this with another housewife, it would've been Caroline Manzo," she said. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star once praised Frankel in an interview with Us Weekly, saying, "She's a smart lady." However, she questioned Frankel's decision to return to "RHONY" in 2014. On her podcast, Frankel revealed that it was actually Manzo's own decision to walk away from "RHONJ" that made her such an appealing potential co-host.
Frankel also considered "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" stars Denise Richards and Kathy Hilton, saying of the latter, "She's sort of the matriarch; she's got a lot of heat on her."
Ultimately, Frankel concluded that she didn't want to share hosting duties with another housewife. "I want to talk to people that are unexpected," she explained. "I like to do things in a new way. Me talking to a housewife about the housewives is not interesting; it's boring." She then boasted about having close relationships with big stars whom she could invite on as guests. The first celeb who joined her to discuss the themes that the "Real Housewives" franchise explores was "The Handmaid's Tale" star Elisabeth Moss. According to People, Frankel has also booked country singer Maren Morris, former talk show host Jerry Springer, and finance expert Suze Orman.