Credit: Shuuterstock/Michael Mattes
Bethenny Frankel addressed “Housewives salaries,” shared how the process works, and revealed when she and her castmates began “banding together” for more money.
She also claimed “the blondes” of the Real Housewives of New York would sometimes “align together” in early seasons for salary negations, and she claimed Jill Zarin asked Bethenny to “negotiate for” her.
On her Instagram, Bethenny addressed this mysterious facet of the franchise. Though she promised not to reveal her own salary – as it would “upset the whole apple cart” – Bethenny said everyone was paid equally when RHONY first started, and they would earn more for “additional episodes,” although there was a “bulk fee” for all episodes filmed.
Though the cast earned a “percent increase” for season two, Bethenny shared they had “leverage” to “negotiate.”
According to Bethenny, castmates (including Bethenny herself) started “banding together” for more money in seasons two and three. She claimed her then-friend Jill asked Bethenny to “negotiate for” her, which was a “wise” decision.
The alum claimed “the blondes” – perhaps referring to Ramona Singer, Alex McCord, and Sonja Morgan – would sometimes “align together” for negotiations, “get nervous” as filming approached, and eventually would “break down” to make other deals.
Bethenny says there are various types of deals, some based on a certain number of episodes or the entire season.
She said Bravo cares about “precedent” because castmates discuss their salaries among themselves. She indicated it’s wise for a Housewife to discuss her salary with another castmate to determine if they’re getting “clipped” or are on the “right path.”
Bethenny said most castmates “lie about what they’re getting paid,” in the same way they lie about whether or not they were “fired.”
She explained that salaries can range from “$25,000” to “seven figures” for the first season, though some people earn “more.”