Bethenny Frankel Addresses Jessel Taank Saying She’s the ‘Most Overrated Housewife’

Getty Bethenny Frankel and Jessel Taank.

Former “Real Housewives of New York City” star Bethenny Frankel shared her thoughts on RHONY season 14 personality Jessel Taank’s comments about her in an October 1 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.” In the “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” episode, Cohen asked Taank, “Who is the most overrated ‘Housewife’ of all time?” The fashion publicist responded, “Okay, I think Bethenny Frankel is going off the rails.” 

According to Page Six, Frankel addressed the matter during the October 3 episode of her podcast, “ReWives With Bethenny Frankel.” She suggested she believed Taank made the comment as the RHONY reboot “really needs the press.” The mother of one stated that she thinks “if you have someone who’s on [RHONY] now in a post-successful era, they’re going to want to squeeze that sponge for any of amount of liquid they can squeeze it for and you can never blame them.” 

“You cannot blame the talent because they need the relevance, the fame — it’s why they went on the show,” said Frankel. 

The “Skinny Girl” founder explained she did not “blame” Taank, as she believes Andy Cohen’s talk show, which premiered in 2013, “is a clickbait environment.” She also stated that she thinks “Watch What Happens Live” “is very crafty and creative because the way that the show is produced and executed” ensures that Cohen “will remain clean,” even though he is “ask[ing] provocative questions” to Bravo personalities, like Taank.

“A woman on that show who’s not relevant yet, well, who’s new, so by definition you’re not that relevant, and you’re on a show that has arced and is on the back end,” stated Frankel. 

The 52-year-old also stated that she believed Taank’s remark was “previously discussed in a dressing room” before her “Watch What Happens Live” interview. Page Six reported that a spokesperson for Bravo asserted that “‘WWHL’ does not conduct pre-interviews.”

“And certainly Andy nor any ‘WWHL’ producer is feeding answers to questions,” stated the spokesperson.

Jessel Taank Spoke About Her Issues With Erin Lichy & Sai De Silva 

Taank joined the RHONY cast for its 14th season, which premiered in June 2023. While filming RHONY season 14, Taank unintentionally insulted a few of her castmates, including Erin Lichy. During a September 2023 appearance on the “Your Favorite Auntie” podcast, Taank spoke about her issues with the real estate agent. She explained that she believed she and her castmate share quite a few similarities, including their devotion to their families and their careers. She noted, however, that she believes Lichy has misunderstood her. 

“I think we had some growing pains, I think that maybe my personality is starting to come through on the show, I’m very lighthearted,” said Taank. “You can literally say the worst things to me, and I’m like, ‘Eh, whatever, no big deal’ I think with Erin, she’s a little bit more sensitive. And you know the things that I do say, I’m 99 percent joking, like there’s no seriousness in anything.”

Taank also had several intense conversations with her castmate Sai De Silva during the production of RHONY season 14. In an October 2023 interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-TEA” podcast, Taank referenced that De Silva voiced her frustration after the London native mentioned her late uncle’s battle with alcoholism during a lunch date. De Silva stated she did not appreciate Taank bringing up her uncle’s issues with alcohol after she had mentioned her late mother was an alcoholic before her passing. 

During Page Six’s Virtual Reali-TEA podcast appearance, Taank stated that she did not intend to compare her uncle’s situation with what happened with De Silva’s mother. She noted, however, that she had a close relationship with her uncle, whom she lived with when she “first moved to New York.”

“He was such a big impact in my life, from childhood, he’s one of my favorite people, growing up,” said Taank. 

The mother of two also stated she was unaware that De Silva did not feel comfortable speaking about her mother. 

“Looking back, I understand why she was feeling the way she was feeling. I think the situation with her mum, it was really something that she didn’t want to be brought up full stop. And I didn’t know that, at the time,” said Taank.

Jessel Taank Spoke About Her Friendship With Brynn Whitfield 

During the “Your Favorite Auntie” interview, Taank referenced that she has a close friendship with her co-star Brynn Whitfield. She stated that she and the corporate communications and marketing consultant have a “very fun [and] very playful” relationship. 

“I give it, she takes it,” said the 42-year-old. 

Whitfield shared she believed Taank is the star of RHONY season 14 during a September 2023 appearance on “Vanderpump Rules” star Lala Kent’s podcast, “Give Them Lala.” She stated that she thinks Taank is her authentic self when filming the Bravo series. 

“Jessel in real life, she’s out of her f***** mind. What I say is that she doesn’t know she’s on a TV show,” said Whitfield.