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Bethenny Frankel hit back at criticism that she received following the “Real Housewives of New York City” alum’s three-part interview with Raquel Leviss on her podcast, “Just B.”
During a podcast episode posted on August 29 titled “Just B Rant: Sorry Not Sorry!” Frankel said that she was “validating” both Ariana Madix and Leviss’ experiences and wasn’t on Leviss’ side just because she interviewed her. “If you go through a terrible, terrible breakup and then a windfall of money and business opportunities comes, you’re in rare air. That’s a rarity,” she said.
“Most people that get cheated on or broken up with don’t have an influx of opportunities,” she continued. “It does not invalidate the fact that you’ve gone through something terrible. It just helps. Most people that go through bad divorces and custody battles don’t have a vehicle to make a lot of money off of that experience.”
“I validate Ariana’s experience as a woman who went through a breakup and was cheated on,” the RHONY alum added. “I also validate Rachel’s experience of a woman who did terrible things for seven months, was duplicitous and cheated but then was emotionally abused in the process.”
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Bethenny Frankel Responded to Accusations That She ‘Exploited’ Raquel Leviss
Frankel explained that she believed that “two wrongs don’t make a right,” and pointed out that Leviss spent three months seeking treatment in a mental health facility that she paid for herself. “I am allowed to validate her experience as much as I am validating that Ariana was cheated on and broken up with,” Frankel added. “And it may be unpopular but I can handle that two things can be going on at the same time.”
The Skinnygirl founder then went on to add that Madix and Tom Sandoval weren’t married and had no children, so it was “not the same thing” as going through a divorce and custody battle. She said she couldn’t imagine living under the same roof as someone that she’d had a terrible breakup with unless she was “completely desperate or destitute or profiting off” the split.
She said that the entire scandal was “for profit” and the more people were talking about it, the more money Sandoval and Madix were making.
Later in the episode, Frankel also defended herself from “Vanderpump Rules” fans who accused her of exploiting Leviss with the interview. She said she wasn’t exploiting Leviss and didn’t need to coddle all the guests she’d had on. She said no one ever asked Oprah Winfrey if she liked all the guests on her show and it wasn’t a requirement as an interview host. “When you’re gonna be jealous please be smart,” she argued.
Ariana Madix Said She Was More Upset With Bethenny Frankel Over the Interview Than Raquel Leviss
Frankel hosted Leviss for her first interview after the “Vanderpump Rules” season 10 reunion and was the subject of a lot of criticism from fans and VPR stars.
Madix commented on Scheana Shay’s podcast that she was more upset with Frankel than she was with Leviss over the interview as she said Frankel should have known better. She accused Frankel of making claims that weren’t true and said, “You don’t know what the f*** you’re talking about lady.”
In another podcast clip after the interview, Frankel admitted that it had been interesting but “unsettling” to see the response as some of the hate that had been previously aimed at Leviss was now aimed at her. However, she said she didn’t really care about the criticism and was “proud” of that fact.
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