Getty Bethenny Frankel
If you’ve been a longtime follower of former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel, then you definitely remember her old assistant, Julie Plake. Plake was a major part of Frankel’s life, and appeared not only on The Real Housewives of New York but on Frankel’s two spinoff shows, Bethenny Getting Married? and Bethenny Ever After. During a recent September 24 appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, Frankel gave a major update on her relationship with Plake.
During her appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Cohen asked Frankel if she is still friends with Plake. In response, as noted by Bravo’s Daily Dish, Frankel said, “Yeah, she texted me yesterday about the podcast, actually, I don’t see her that often.” Frankel recently released a podcast called Just B.
Frankel also mentioned on the show that Plake got married and started a family. According to The Daily Dish, she has three kids, Josey, 5, Alley, 2, and Bennett, three months. Plake shares a lot of photos of her and her family on her Instagram page.
Frankel Said She Keeps in Touch With Her Old Assistants
According to Bravo’s The Daily Dish, during another Watch What Happens Live appearance in 2018, Frankel shared that she still keeps in touch with all of her old assistants. “I keep in touch with all my old assistants, and some have come back,” Frankel said during the appearance in 2018, as noted by The Daily Dish. “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.”
According to Page Six, in 2018, Frankel posted an online ad looking for an assistant. The listing said that the applicant should have “tough skin” and some of the daily tasks included “manage dog’s schedule,” “maintain upcoming wardrobe queue” and take pictures of Frankel “and pets to provide content for social media,” according to Page Six.
After Page Six wrote the article, Frankel tweeted “Hey @pagesix since you asked, I’m hiring additional thick skinned assistants who can handle pressure, a serious business woman & an opportunity to rival a business school education. If you know anyone, let us know. We’re expanding our team by the minute as the brand expands.”
Working for Frankel Is Hard Work
In 2015, Bravo’s The Daily Dish interviewed Frankel’s former executive assistant, Meghan Herd. “The hardest part about working for Bethenny is no two days are the same,” Herd told The Daily Dish at the time. Herd continued explaining what it takes to work with Frankel, “You have to always anticipate that she may want a massage or has she gotten a manicure, she has an appearance tonight. What does she need to be successful and fully prepared—just really trying to think for her.”
Herd also said that details are super important to Frankel. Frankel’s former stylist, Julia Kitziger, also contributed to the interview. Kitziger told The Daily Dish, “We get tough love, but at the end of the day, Bethenny always has our best interest at heart. She’s supportive, but she teaches a lot. There are times to be professional and there are times to kick your feet up and have fun.”
READ NEXT: NeNe Leakes Goes off on Wendy Williams