Bethenny Frankel Doesn't Expect Andy Cohen to Reach Out About New Payments

Bethenny Frankel ignited a public discussion this week by urging reality TV personalities to demand to be paid residuals for their work.

Her comments came after the Screen Actors Guild—American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in going on strike. As a result of the strike, production on many Hollywood films and television programs has halted, and Frankel said the same action should occur with reality TV if stars aren't better compensated. (Unscripted reality shows are not affected by the actors' and writers' strikes.)

Frankel—who is perhaps best known for being an original member of the hit Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of New York City and for her lifestyle brand Skinnygirl—took to Instagram Wednesday to say reality TV personalities should make similar demands as actors and writers about residuals from their work appearing on streaming channels.

While her comments received a large response from fellow reality TV stars, Frankel told Newsweek that one person she doesn't expect to hear from is Andy Cohen, the executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise and reunion shows' host.

When asked by Newsweek if she had heard from Cohen or any representatives from Bravo or Peacock [where Real Housewives shows stream], Frankel answered with a simple: "No."

She gave the same reply when asked if she expected to hear from Cohen or Bravo/Peacock.

The Just B podcast host did not indicate that there was any animosity or bad blood between her and Cohen, though. She has also publicly reunited with Cohen several times since her last appearance on The Real Housewives of New York City in 2019, including on his Bravo talk show Watch What Happens Live.

Frankel began what she calls her "reality reckoning" in videos she posted to her Instagram account. In the first clip, she said she has "never made a single residual. So either I'm missing something, or we're getting screwed too."

"Anyone shooting a Bravo show should not be shooting until they get paid residuals for all the other episodes that they've ever done, or those episodes should be taken down," she added. "Reality stars should go on strike."

Her comments drew praise from such reality TV figures as Aviva Drescher (The Real Housewives of New York City), NeNe Leakes (The Real Housewives of Atlanta) and Kaitlyn Bristowe (The Bachelor/The Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars).

When asked by Newsweek about the reaction her message received, Frankel said she was "not surprised, because I just hit a nerve."

She also noted that her remarks were not meant for the top stars of reality programming but for lesser-known people.

"I am the exception, not the rule. Me making money is because I'm extremely smart and knew what I was dealing with and grew up at the racetrack. This is not designed for me because I have more than I could ever want," Frankel said. "This is for the girl who gets paid $7,250 In her first season and said something she regrets that she has to watch on television and on T-shirts and on YouTube for the rest of her natural-born life and make no money on it."