Bethenny Frankel is opening up about why she quit The Real Housewives of New York City, and it wasn’t about money. The reality TV star got candid with Variety regarding her new gig, as well as why she ditched the series that made her a household name.
Along with being a reality TV star, Bethenny is a business mogul. She is the founder and CEO of the lifestyle brand Skinnygirl. Even though she sold Skinnygirl Cocktails in 2011, Bethenny stays busy overseeing the rest of her brand.
Now she is combining her brand and experience with reality television to create a new show that is very similar to The Apprentice. Bethenny appeared on the Martha Stewart version of the NBC reality TV show in 2005 and came in second place.
Why did Bethenny really leave RHONY?
According to her interview with Variety, her new television show is not the reason Bethenny decided to quit RHONY. It wasn’t about money either. She was making an “astronomical salary” on the show.
Bethenny stayed for the money, but in the end, she simply didn’t want to do the show anymore. It was no longer favorable for her or her business.
“It no longer became this platform to promote my business, because I had done that, and there was more promoting sort of new and questionable businesses than the legitimate ones at this point if that makes any sense. So, it wasn’t the platform anymore. It was really the paycheck, which was, you know, astronomical at that point. It’s taken me longer to order a pasta dish than just to decide this. I just was looking for a reason. And I just was ready to do it. I didn’t want to be there anymore. I didn’t want to be there anymore. I mean, honestly, I just didn’t,” Bethenny shared with the website.
It sounds like a pretty good reason. She needed to move on, and that is precisely what Bethenny is doing with her new show.
Bethenny’s new reality TV show
The business mogul will star in an eight-episode show for HBO Max titled, The Big Shot With Bethenny. Contestants will compete for the opportunity to work with Bethenny at her Skinnygirl company.
It is not an entry-level job either. Competitors will be vying for a spot on Bethenny’s executive team.
She explained the concept came from Bethenny continuously being asked how people could apply to work for her. Fans love her and the brand.
Therefore, Bethenny decided it would make a good show, especially since she is on the hunt for a second in command.
Don’t call the new show a spin-off of The Apprentice. Bethenny explains the idea may be similar, but the execution is entirely different. The reality TV series is expected to drop on HBO Max in the spring.
Leaving RHONY was an easy decision for Bethenny Frankel, who just wasn’t feeling the reality TV show anymore.
The Real Housewives of New York returns for Season 12 on Thursday, April 2, at 9/8c on Bravo.