Real Housewives of New York City fans will remember Sonja Morgan’s iconic Season 6 tagline: “Sometimes Sonja has to go commando. What can I say?”
On Friday, Sonja engaged commando mode, shooting down former castmate Bethenny Frankel’s claims she had almost been fired from the show.
On the debut episode of her Real Housewives rewatch podcast “ReWives” Thursday, Frankel alleged that she had “saved” Morgan from being fired during Season 10.
“One of the producers – I will not say who – in the car said, ‘I think we have to let Sonja go,’” Frankel said. The Skinnygirl founder, 52, claimed that during that time, Morgan was a “disaster,” caught up in the ongoing drama over her Upper East Side townhouse.
Frankel alleged that she had prevented Morgan’s firing by instigating a fight between Morgan and castmate Tinsley Mortimer at a sushi restaurant.
“I said to the producer in the car, ‘Give me one night,’” Frankel said.
Frankel’s podcast guest – award-winning actress Elisabeth Moss – reacted to the story with shock: “That’s crazy!”
Sonja Morgan addresses Bethenny Frankel’s RHONY firing claims
Now Morgan is clearing her name.
On Friday, the socialite, 58, said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight that she still “loves” her former cast mate, adding that Bethenny “always has my back.”
However, Morgan went on, “the top executives… always told me that they could count on me to get epic material at the townhouse with #TeamSonja.”
The RHONY alum added that Bravo executives told her they could “always get gold” filming Sonja, “even just talking to my poodle.”
Morgan was a staple on the Bravo show since she was first introduced in Season 3. Frankel, an original cast member, left after that season but returned for Season 7. In August 2019, right before filming Season 12, Frankel unexpectedly quit the franchise for good.
The franchise is currently filming a total reboot with an entirely new cast, while fan-favorite Housewives – including Jill Zarin and Kelly Bensimon – await casting news from the forthcoming Legacy spin-off.
Real Housewives of New York stars slam Bethenny Frankel over podcast claims
Frankel – who has previously criticized the Housewives shows – is getting some criticism of her own from other RHONY stars for now launching a Housewives-centric podcast.
Asked what she thought of the venture, former RHONY cast member Carole Radziwill tweeted that Frankel had built her brand by “trashing & mocking women,” specifically other Real Housewives.
“I mean right out the gate she trash talks the other [Housewives’] podcasts,” Radziwill wrote. “Good luck to her. Some things will never change.”
Countess Luann de Lesseps didn’t mince words either, calling Frankel’s “ReWives” effort “sad and pathetic” and noting that Frankel has “tried everything other than Housewives and it doesn’t seem to work.”