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Bethenny Frankel took to her social media on July 19 to call for reality TV stars to start striking and make demands to be paid residuals amid the ongoing actors and writers unions’ strike.
The “Real Housewives of New York City” alum posted a couple of videos in which she called for a “reality TV reckoning” and said reality stars should stop filming “until their free content is [taken] down.” She said, “I have never made a single residual. So either I’m missing something, or we’re getting screwed too.”
Frankel brought up stars like “The Hills'” Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari and said they “don’t make a damn dollar” following their time on the show, which is still airing today. In an interview with Newsweek, Frankel added, “‘Reality reckoning’ is what I’m calling it. We’re the losers. The misfits get the scraps. And the losers are who Hollywood is going to rely on right now to fill the gap during this strike, like we did the last strike. I urge that not to be the case.”
In the comments of her posts, Frankel was flooded with support from other reality stars, including stars from “The Bachelorette,” “Jersey Shore” and Bravolebrities.
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Many Bravolebrities Commented on Bethenny Frankel’s Videos & Expressed Their Full Support
Frankel’s first video about reality TV residuals saw iconic “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum NeNe Leakes comment, “Agreed! I been saying this but they will hear you better than me.” Frankel replied to her, “@neneleakes we will get into it.”
RHONY alum Aviva Drescher commented, “YESSSSSSSS!” while “The Real Housewives of Orange County” alum Vicki Gunvalson wrote, “Totally agree! We should be getting residuals for all the times they have used our footage. I got paid $0 season 1.” Another RHOC star, Gretchen Rossi, wrote, “Amen sister!!!!” Jill Zarin, with whom Frankel recently reconnected, wrote, “I’m in.”
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” newbie Danielle Cabral also shared her thoughts in the comments of Frankel’s video, telling her, “The problem is the fear of reality stars who are starting out is that they can be replaced, which they can… Gotta be smart and know you’re worth.”
Frankel told Newsweek that she wasn’t surprised by the reaction of other reality TV stars to her comments as she said she “just hit a nerve.”
Bethenny Frankel Posted Several Videos on the Subject, Including One Announcing That She’d Soon Be Revealing Her Terms
In her caption of one video on the subject, Frankel pointed out that “reality tv has generated millions of dollars and entertained people GLOBALLY and my name and likeness and content are used for years to come for free on episodes where I was paid peanuts for my work.” She said a common response to her claim is that studios pay the “talent” of actors but the reality is that “studios pay for advertisers and advertisers pay for the purchasers of the household aka women… And what gets women? Reality tv.”
On July 20, Frankel posted a video titled “Reality TV reckoning” and wrote in the caption that the days of exploiting reality stars are over and she would post another video with terms. She also posted another video responding to a lot of critics’ comments, including one who said that the system is fair because reality TV simply shows stars being themselves.
Frankel pointed out that the shows are “heavily produced and formatted” and the job isn’t easy. “And you are not hiding behind the words of someone else,” she pointed out, explaining that any small move or comment can be replayed and repeated for decades in the future as networks make money off situations, like her divorce or the “Vanderpump Rules” scandal.
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