Bravo Bethenny Frankel and her assistant
During a recent podcast appearance, Bethenny Frankel’s former assistant, Julie Plake McMinn, dished on what it was really like to work for the former “Real Housewives of New York” star and more. Not only was Plake featured on RHONY, but she was also a big part of Frankel’s two spinoff shows: “Bethenny Ever After,” and “Bethenny Getting Married?”
“It was a tough environment, but it was such a positive environment to be part of,” Plake revealed while appearing on the Behind The Velvet Rope podcast with David Yontef on April 14. “We really were all there for each other because we were like a little family. We were.”
When asked if it was difficult to work with Frankel, Plake replied, “I mean, you’d watch her on TV, yeah. She wasn’t like a walk in the park, and she would say that. But we had good systems and I decided to leave because I was spent. I wanted to have someone else carry her to the next level, because I think I had done as much as I could.”
Plake Also Revealed Her Biggest Stressors While Working for Frankel
During her appearance on the Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, Plake also revealed some mistakes she made during her time working for Frankel that used to set the star off.
“I will tell you the biggest stress that no one has now that was had on all assistants back then, there was no Uber,” Plake revealed. “There was no way if you were a budding entrepreneur to get a car service. Like you had to be like getting a black car service, which was $150 an hour or $200 to take you around town, or you were calling two one, two seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, crossing your fingers that a car showed up. So, it was very stressful, the transportation part.”
Plake continued, “If it was raining in New York, you weren’t going to get a cab, and she would be all glammed, and we would be like, ‘how are we going to get her there?’ That was a small thing that was really affecting me. My job would be so much easier if there was Uber. That was really tough.”
Frankel’s former assistant also added, “I mean, I forgot s*** all the time. I just did. I like forgot a pair of shoes or something like that. And after a while, you know, we made lists and we got it down, right? But at first, it was tough. Sometimes you forgot something you didn’t even know you really needed.”
The Two Still Keep in Touch Today
During a September 2020 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Frankel confirmed that she does still keep in touch with Plake. “Yeah, she texted me yesterday about the podcast, actually,” Frankel said at the time, referring to her podcast, Just B, according to Bravo. “I don’t see her that often.”
During a previous Watch What Happens Live appearance in 2018, Frankel revealed that she does, in fact, keep in touch with many of her previous assistants. “I keep in touch with all my old assistants, and some have come back,” Frankel said at the time. “As much of a tyrant and Miranda Priestly that people think I am, I do have a good relationship with my current and former assistants.”
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