Bethenny Frankel reacts to Bravo’s ‘bittersweet’ decision about ‘RHONY’

Bethenny Frankel made a toast to the end of an era as The Real Housewives of New York City officially comes to an end.

In a candid and classic Frankel-style TikTok posted Friday, the Bravo alum gave her two cents on the show's cancellation—and let’s just say, she didn’t sugarcoat it.

“New York City was my playground and The Real Housewives of New York City has been canceled. It’s poetic. It is bittersweet,” Frankel said, looking fresh-faced and reflective. 

“It is the end of an era, for me personally, and for that show which was an alchemy of disaster.”

And that “alchemy of disaster” wasn’t a complaint—it was more like a badge of honour. 

According to Frankel, it was the show's messy, authentic chaos that made it a pop culture phenomenon. 

“It was a flawed group of women in a flawed city authentically being ourselves — unhinged, unmatched, shockwaves through the real socialite community in New York and the media,” she added.

Frankel didn’t shy away from pointing fingers either, suggesting the show’s downfall came when Bravo tried to get too polished with its rebooted cast. 

“The powers that be pandered to society and tried to fit 25 pounds in a five pound bag,” she said. “And if you try to please everybody, you please nobody.”

The Real Housewives original went on to critique the newer, glossier version of the show, which featured Jenna Lyons, Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jessel Taank, and Brynn Whitfield. 

For Frankel, it just didn’t hit the same way. 

“They cast this glossy, curated version of what they thought people wanted New York City to be,” she said, contrasting it with her own era's antics, “a group of friends that live in New York City being ridiculous, crazy, imperfect, making mistakes, lying, cheating, stealing, copying and berating.”

And that, she claims, was the magic. 

“People loved it because no matter what, it was real. It was the realest that genre can be,” Frankel concluded. “Bye, New York. You will be missed.”

Although Bravo has shelved the show for now, it might not be gone for good.

Insiders told Page Six that network execs are still hoping to revive the franchise eventually in the upcoming time. As one source put it, “We’re trying to figure that show out. We want to figure it out. We think there’s still life in it.”

But if Real Housewives of Miami is any indicator—canceled in 2013, revived in 2021—this could be more of a long nap than a forever goodbye. Whenever, and if ever it returns, fans should expect a fresh batch of New York drama with, once again, a whole new cast.