Bethenny Frankel called it quits from her stint on ‘RHONY’ once again and Luann de Lesseps shared her thoughts on the final departure.
Bethenny Frankel, 48, shocked fans when she announced she wasn’t returning to The Real Housewives of New York City on August 21. Now two months later her former co-star, Luann de Lesseps, 54, sat down for an interview with SiriusXM’s Jenny McCarthy on Oct. 28 where she opened up about Bethenny’s departure from the hit Bravo show and how the rest of the cast reacted.
“Bethenny is a lot of fun, she can be really nasty, but she’s very funny,” Luann explained. “And you know, those are the kind of people you get up for in the morning because they challenge you. Luann went on to describe the “up and down relationship” she has with Bethenny. “She’s not an easy person to manage and I just feel like that part I’ll kind of miss because it’s challenging.”
“And you know, I’ll miss her but at the same time when you’re around her it’s like walking on egg shells.” Throwing the question back to host Jenny McCarthy, Luann asked, “I mean, how would you feel? You know her.”
“I would feel relieved as hell if I was a cast member!” Jenny quipped. “I don’t like living in those kind of environments. It’s unhealthy.”
“Oh, I think the whole cast is relieved in a way,” Luann agreed. “And it also leaves breathing room for other women to shine and show their personalities. Because a lot was Bethenny coming in and trying to steal the show.” Check out the clip above!
As we reported earlier, Luann was put off once again this past summer when she and RHONY fellow cast member Sonja Morgan both appeared on BUILD Brunch to discuss the current season on July 16. Host, Lukas Thimm, asked the ladies how they felt about Bethenny Frankel returning to the series for Season 7 (after a three-year absence) and asked if her return was a big part of “keeping the show on now for so long?”
Both Luann and Sonja were upset and seemed pretty offended by his inquiry. “Well, Bethenny was gone for years, and we managed to carry the show. Obviously, Bethenny’s a big character and it’s great to have her back, but you know…,” Luann said before Sonja chimed in and asked, “What the hell are you talking about?! Have you lost your mind? Luann and I both emailed Bethenny and said, ‘We’re so happy you’re coming back,’ and gosh, we do feel the DNA is back or whatever, as you said, but what was that other thing you said?! ‘Do you think that’s the reason the show has lasted this long?’ ]This is] The Real Housewives of New York City. Ramona Singer will be in diapers and a wheelchair with or without Bethenny! I mean, come on.”