Throughout the last two decades, the Real Housewives franchise has become a wildly popular behemoth. Some of the best reality shows have come out of the property, which is streaming exclusively with a Peacock subscription. Chief among them is The Real Housewives of New York City, and a new rumor claims iconic alum Bethenny Frankel is "begging" to get back on Bravo. Let's break it all down.
Since Bethenny left RHONY after Season 11, the TV personality and entrepreneur has exactly been in the good graces of the network. Frankel criticized the show's reboot and Bravo as a whole, seemingly fracturing her relationship with producer Andy Cohen. A rumor from Rob Shuter claims that she's been trying to get back on Bravo... to no avail. A post from his Substack quotes an anonymous source, who claims:
Bethenny keeps calling and emailing, trying to make amends, but it’s never going to happen. Andy won’t even say her name anymore. She’s just ‘Margarita Lady’ to him.
Ouch. This nickname is, of course, a reference to her liquor brand Skinny Girl, which she created and promoted while appearing on RHONY. While Andy Cohen and Bethenny Frankel seemed to have a good relationship even after she left the show, this insider claims that things have not been good between the two Bravolebrities. And if this source is to be believed, it's preventing her from returning to reality TV on the beloved network.
This is just a rumor at this point, so we should probably take it with a grain of salt for the time being. But Frankel has been off of TV since 2021's The Big Shot With Bethenny (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription). Another insider who is allegedly close to Bethenny provided another quote, claiming:
She’s begging them to give her a second chance, claiming she had the original idea for the road trip show. But everyone knows the pitch was turned down for a reason — she’s toxic and impossible to work with.
This is in reference to the new season of Ultimate Girls Trip, which features OG Housewives going on a round trip and visiting the various cities featured in the franchise. It's unclear whether or not Bethenny actually came up with that concept, but this report is definitely going to turn the heads of Bravohaulics out there.
Given how many truly iconic moments Frankel brought to TV throughout her tenure on RHONY, there are plenty of fans out there who would love to see her return to Bravo. Although on the flip side she's also received some backlash from the fandom for her criticism over the network and genre as a whole. Personally I'm leaning more towards the latter, as I don't think she necessarily has a place at Bravo after attempting to start the "reality reckoning". Although her humanitarian efforts are definitely something to be admired.
There are currently new episodes of Salt Lake City, Potomac, and Beverly Hills airing weekly as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to wait and see if this rumor is true, and if Bethenny Frankel ever returns to Bravo.
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