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Sonja Morgan revealed her text from Bethenny Frankel after she caught wind of their new show on E! – as Sonja shared how she would feel if Bethenny filmed. Meanwhile, Jill Zarin stated that she “didn’t ask [Bethenny]” to join.
Last week, news broke that early castmates of Real Housewives of New York City were jumping to E! to film the new show, The Golden Life. As of now, the cast reportedly includes Sonja, Jill, Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer and Kelly Bensimon. Bethenny (who has called out Bravo for its alleged treatment of stars) praised the move and shared her excitement.
On Virtual Reali-Tea, Sonja was asked about Bethenny’s reaction.
“[Bethenny] texted me immediately, like a newsflash, before even Page Six [reported it],” said Sonja. “She heard about it before. And she goes, ‘I am so happy for you.’ And I said, ‘I knew you would be.'”
“You know, towards the end of Real Housewives of New York, I don’t know if you remember, but Bethenny and I [went] through Tipsy Girl,” she continued, alluding to when Bethenny accused her of making a “cheater” beverage brand. “And we came out stronger on the other end. [Later on] we actually shared a room in Connecticut. We did masks, and she slapped my butt, and I made out with her. [I did] everything I do with Luann, but usually I dry-hump Luann. It was a little juicier with Bethenny.”
She then addressed speculation that Bethenny could join.
“That would be a gift,” said Sonja. “If she wants to do the show, I’ll be very happy. But she’s made it very clear the last few years that she really doesn’t want to do TV. She has been making a fortune.”
Around the same time, Jill took it one step further.
“Bethenny and I, when we went on the show years ago, we were friends and we had a really good time together. But that friendship, you know, publicly dissolved,” said Jill in a video on social media, via @therealhousewiveszone on Instagram. “And years later, when she and I spoke about it, she told me the truth, which was that she wanted to be Beyoncé and I wanted to be Lucy and Ethel. You can’t be Beyoncé and be on an ensemble cast. It doesn’t work. And that’s why I didn’t ask her to be on the show, because I knew that wasn’t what she wanted to do.”
“And she’s in a great place,” she added. “I mean, I live basically down the block from her and I’m watching her, you know, live her best life publicly, you know, sharing with fans everything that she’s doing — branding and all that great stuff. … But I don’t want you guys to be disappointed. Because you get to see all of us on social media and you get to see probably more Bethenny on TikTok and Instagram than you would on any show. So don’t feel bad. … And I’m grateful that she’s wishing us the best, and we only wish her the best too.”