Bethenny Frankel had one hell of a year. Personal tragedies like the loss of her dog, Cookie. A falling out with Carole Radziwill. A lot of stress from a lot of sources.
A lot of fans are concerned that Bethenny will quit The Real Housewives of New York City. They might be right to worry.
Bethenny says that the show is draining. Will she leave the cast … again?
Bethenny was part of the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City as far back as 2008.
She left in 2010 … only to rejoin the Bravo series in 2014.
She is iconic and has a massive fanbase, but, as she tells The Metro UK, Bethenny still considers leaving the show.
Bethenny says that she thinks about departing “every so often.”
When asked about her future plans, Bethenny is very honest:
“I honestly don’t know.”
She says that the choice to remain part of RHONY‘s cast is a perennial consideration.
“I have to make this decision each season.”
Bethenny does discuss how exhausting reality stardom can be.
“This season was a very emotionally draining one.”
There was more than just appearing on cameras that tired her out, however.
“I took on way too much with the Puerto Rico effort.”
She did a huge amount for Puerto Rico. She’s known for her philanthropy, and she raced to fill the gap when the Trump Administration refused to provide sufficient assistance.
“Combined with motherhood, my career, three renovations, and three TV shows, I hit the wall.”
That happens to everyone. Even to someone as driven and relentless as Bethenny.
“I am very focused on philanthropy and I hit a wall and had to revisit my life, my choices, and my personal happiness.”
Self-care is important.
Bethenny also discussed some new friendships that she forged with a couple of RHONY castmates
“Bonding happens for different reasons.”
She’s absolutely right.
“This season, Luann and Sonja (and even myself) hit rock bottom in different ways so it formed a connection between us.”
And they sort of grew closer in the process.
“We all needed to make a change in our lives.”
She was particularly impressed by Countess Luann de Lesseps taking control of her life after she was arrested for trespassing and kicking a police officer.
“To be honest, Luann handled her very negative situation in an impressive and graceful way.”
That’s certainly true.
Bethenny continues to praise Luann’s recovery.
“She faced it head on and moved forward. I felt genuine compassion for her and simply felt a connection there.”
As for how their newfound friendship has formed, Bethenny says that it was spontaneous.
“It just happened. I cannot explain it, but that was the evolution of the relationship.”
Hey, that’s how a lot of things happen.
“If you see something, you react. Luann seemed vulnerable and scared and was handling it with dignity and grace.”
That is absolutely true.
“No matter what she does or has done, if she is honest about it, I can connect to her. Her honesty was what bonded us.”
That’s wonderful! And it would be a great reason for Bethenny to remain on the show.
That said, Bethenny’s fallen friendship with Carole Radziwill has to be weighing on her.
The two simply grew apart as they spent months on end last summer doing very different things.
Carole competed in a marathon, which is great if you like running, but sometimes people move on when they’re not side-by-side.
The fallout from that has led to some palpable tension on RHONY.
But maybe her new friendships will be enough to keep Bethenny onboard for a little while longer, at least.
Let us hope so.