‘Real Housewives’ Star Criticizes Bethenny Frankel for Raquel Leviss Interview

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“Real Housewives of Orange County” star Tamra Judge gave her opinion about former “Real Housewives of New York City” star Bethenny Frankel’s August 2023 interview with “Vanderpump Rules” alum Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. While recording the August 22 episode of her podcast, “Two Ts In A Pod,” with her co-host “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, Judge stated that she took issue with Frankel’s comments on her three-part “Just B with Bethenny Frankel” podcast episode, featuring Leviss.

During the “Two Ts In A Pod” episode, Arroyave suggested that she believed Frankel exploited Leviss by interviewing her on her podcast. When she inquired, “How is what Bethenny is doing with Rachel any different” than Bravo, Judge replied, “It’s not.” The RHOC star also stated that she believes Frankel, who has criticized Bravo for the treatment of the network’s stars, is hypocritical.

“It’s actually making her the biggest hypocrite of all hypocrites in reality TV,” said Judge.

The mother of four also stated she believes Frankel “didn’t care about Rachel,” who faced backlash following the revelation she had an affair with her castmate, Tom Sandoval, when he was still in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Ariana Madix. Judge said she thinks the former RHONY star, who left the series in 2019, decided to interview Leviss because she “has a bone to pick with Bravo” following her uncomfortable December 2022 “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” interview.

“The whole thing was self-serving. She did Rachel no favors,” said Judge.

In addition, the 55-year-old referenced that Frankel said she took issue with the insults directed toward Leviss at the “Vanderpump Rules” season 10 reunion. Judge stated that Frankel said “horrible things about her [RHONY] cast members,” specifically Luann de Lesseps and Kelly Bensimon.

“So it’s okay for her to say all these things but then to sit with Rachel and say, in tears, ‘Oh my god, they told you to f*** a cheese grater. I mean if you were my daughter, I would kill somebody for this.’ But yet she did — she’s like the worst actress ever,” said Judge.

Tamra Judge Reacted to Bethenny Frankel Commenting on Her Actions in the 4th Season of RHOC

While recording the “Two Ts In A Pod” episode, Judge reacted to Frankle mentioning her behavior toward her former castmate Gretchen Rossi in RHOC season 4, episode 8 (“Naked Wasted”) during the August 20 episode of “Just B with Bethenny Frankel.” In the 2008 RHOC episode, Rossi attended a party at Judge’s house. While at the event, the former RHOC star, who was in a relationship with her late fiance, Jeff Beitzel, drank a significant amount of alcohol. Judge told her castmate Vicki Gunvalson that she wanted “to get [Rossi] wasted, naked wasted.” When former RHOC stars Jeana Keough and Lynne Curtin expressed concern about Rossi’s consumption of alcohol, Judge said she “need[ed] to relax” because Beitzel was in the midst of serious health issues.

Later in the episode, Judge’s son, Ryan Vieth, who was 23 years old when filming season 4, expressed romantic interest in Rossi. Toward the end of the party, Rossi and Vieth went to the bathroom together. A cameraperson stood in front of a closed door while the pair had a conversation. An inebriated Rossi stated that while she found Vieth attractive, he could not hug or kiss her. He then asked if she would give him a hug and “just one peck.” She declined his requests, and they left the bathroom.

In the August 20 “Just B with Bethenny Frankel” episode, Frankel said that Bravo “should instill better workplace practices” and stated that she believed RHOC producers should have intervened when Rossi was in the bathroom with Judge’s son.

“Gretchen Rossi was at Tamra’s house and Vicki and Tamra said they were going to get her ‘naked wasted,’” said the former RHONY star. “They kept giving her drinks and then in another room, Tamra’s son, you heard, like, forcing himself on her. And I didn’t see like a camera person go in and open up the door and be like, ‘Get off her.’ It goes as far as it can go, but someone might have psychological damage from that.”

In the August 22 “Two Ts In A Pod” episode, Judge stated that she was upset with Frankel’s remarks about RHOC season 4, episode 8. She said “naked wasted was a term that [she] and Vicki used to use.”

“That means that we are going to get drunk tonight, that’s it … It had nothing to do with getting her naked at all,” said Judge.

The RHOC star also stated that the season 4 episode was edited and was “so far from the truth.”

“Nobody forced alcohol down anyone’s throat, production didn’t, I didn’t, Vicki didn’t,” said Judge.

The RHOC star also stated that Keough had requested Vieth to escort Rossi to the restroom.

“The mics were on. Everything was heard. There was no forcefulness. The whole thing, taken out of context. When I watch it myself, I’m like what the f***? That’s not what happened. Now, if I sat down and told [Frankel] my story of what went down that night she would have been advocating for me, ‘Oh my god, the network did you dirty.’ It just pisses me off to no degree,” said Judge.

Ariana Madix Criticized Bethenny Frankel’s Interview

Madix shared her thoughts about Frankel’s interview with Leviss in the August 25 episode of her co-star Scheana Shay’s podcast, “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay.” She stated that she believes it is within Leviss’ right to want to speak about the aftermath of her affair on Frankel’s podcast. Madix said, however, she did not appreciate some of Frankel’s comments about her relationship with Leviss and Sandoval.

“Some of the things that were said were — made me really sad, made me angry,” said the 38-year-old.

She also stated that she is more upset with Frankel than Leviss for the podcast episode. She explained she took issue with the fact that Frankel said Madix had forgiven Sandoval for his affair.

“Bethenny is who I feel like should have known better and who actually I think upset me more in the things that were said because even, I guess, as recently as whatever podcast she did after the fact, she said, ‘Oh, Ariana’s forgiven him.’ I’m like, ‘Why are you speaking for me? First of all, I don’t know you. And you don’t know what the f*** you’re talking about, lady.’ So there were a lot of things that were said by her that actually made me more angry,” said Madix.

Lala Kent Stated She Believes Bethenny Frankel ‘Exploited’ Raquel Leviss

Madix’s “Vanderpump Rules” co-star Lala Kent also shared she did not appreciate Frankel’s podcast with Leviss. In the August 22 episode of her podcast “Give Them Lala,” she expressed frustration as she did not believe Frankel did adequate research about “Vanderpump Rules” before interviewing Leviss. She also stated she thinks “Bethenny completely exploited that girl yet again.”

“To me, she sat there and said ‘You know what, this girl is going to be easy to manipulate because I’m Bethenny Frankel. She’s floundering … her story is crazy, even though she brought it upon herself and this is going to be the perfect way for me to place her in the narrative that I’m trying to create.’ It was actually really sad to me because I really liked Bethenny Frankel,” said Kent.

The “Give Them Lala” author clarified that she is “happy that [Leviss] finally got to take advantage of a giant platform to tell her story.”