Former ‘Real Housewives’ Star Calls Out Andy Cohen: ‘It Backfired on Him’

Getty Images Andy Cohen gets called out by a former "Real Housewives" star — again.

Former “Real Housewives of New York” star Bethenny Frankel says she felt “ambushed” by both Andy Cohen and Jeff Lewis when she appeared on “Watch What Happens Live.”

When Frankel appeared on the late-night talk show in December 2022, she had recently started her new podcast, “ReWives,” on which she talks about things that have happened on the various franchises and shares her opinions on them. Cohen had some less-than-supportive things to say about Frankel’s decision to revisit her old stomping grounds when she launched the show in 2022 (she left the franchise in 2019).

“As someone who thought they were his friend on some level, Andy didn’t come to me directly to tell me what he thought about the show that I was doing. He went out and talked about it in the media, publicly,” Frankel said on the October 3, 2023, episode of her podcast.

“Of course I’m entitled to talk about something that I was as much a part of as he was. He actually never got dirty and I actually got dirty in it. So, it backfired on him because he became a Housewife and he took the bait,” she added.

She has said that she felt “ambushed” by Cohen during her December 2022 appearance on WWHL when he insisted that she and Lewis discuss their differences on air. And while Frankel said she doesn’t hold Lewis at fault, she said she felt that he was a part of the attempted take down.

Here’s what you need to know:

Bethenny Frankel Has Previously Opened Up About How Andy Cohen Treated Her on ‘Watch What Happens Live’

On her October 3, 2023, podcast, Frankel said she recognizes that Cohen is a television host and that the questions he asks guests are designed to be controversial — in part, it’s what makes good TV.

“The show has been successful on the backs of 150 to 180 women,” Frankel said. She also explained that the gossipy nature of the questions really “perpetuates” negative relationships and is a reason some women across the franchise don’t like each other despite having never met one another.

Frankel also said people don’t go after Cohen for asking the provocative questions, but, instead, go after the person who answered.

“I went on his show and felt ambushed, but that’s the name of the game there. There are gonna be polls and discussions and they’re kind of designed to make people look bad,” Frankel said in a July 2023 TikTok video.

Bethenny Frankel Says Both Andy Cohen & Jeff Lewis Apologized to Her After the Episode

Just after the episode of WWHL aired, Frankel took to her Instagram Stories to share that she received apologies from both Cohen and Lewis.

“What a circus of emotions today. Had a phone call with Andy, had a phone call with Jeff Lewis,” she shared, according to Page Six.

“Love you all, gotta have a good sense of humor about everything and also, gotta accept people’s apologies and be transparent and roll with the punches,” she added.

Frankel has been working diligently on a “Reality Reckoning” (as she calls it) — and attempt to revolutionize unscripted television, perhaps to make a union for those who partake in such forms of entertainment. She has been advocating for stronger contracts, better pay, and even residuals for those who appear on reality television shows, according to Variety.

“We signed a contract. Does it mean we should be exploited? It means when you get a ratings bump or something happens, you should share. Networks and streamers have been exploiting people for too long,” she told the outlet in July 2023.

Frankel has been a part of other, non-Bravo reality television shows, including ABC’s “Shark Tank” and Max’s “The Big Shot.”

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