Real Housewives of New York alum Bethenny Frankel is a busy woman. But that won’t stop Beth from taking on new projects when she’s feeling inspired. After the Writers Guild of America and consequently SAG-AFTRA went on strike in hopes of better working conditions, Bethenny got fired up.
She believes reality television stars should be compensated for endless reruns and streaming of their shows. And she’s right, there is no reason unscripted content performers should be taken advantage of. Now Beth’s new venture is gaining steam and more support is coming in. The Messenger has the scoop.
Voices from Real Housewives past…
After Beth started speaking on unionizing reality television and going on strike, lots of people began co-signing her efforts. Former Real Housewives of Dallas diva LeeAnn Locken shared her two cents. “I think it’s a good idea, I hate to say it.”
She added, “I think the audience for a long time felt like we got paid every time it aired, and we didn’t. We got paid when we created it. That’s the only time we ever got paid for it. And then they, in perpetuity, can run it forever, anywhere in the world, over and over and over again. You are making money off my mistakes, off my one-liners, off my back.” Also, this was probably in the contract they signed.
Real Housewives of Orange County alum Braunwyn Windham-Burke had thoughts as well. “The funny thing is, I never even thought about it until she mentioned it, but it’s such a great idea,” she said.
“Because a lot of these shows go on forever, and people aren’t making money. If you can actually unionize reality TV, go for it. I doubt it’s gonna happen. Because I don’t know if it can happen, it seems so far-fetched, but it can. That would be amazing because people do work really hard on the show,” Braunwyn continued.
Cynthia and The Marge speak up
Bethenny also has a previous Atlanta Housewife on her side. Cynthia Bailey is Team Union. “Our likeness can run on forever and ever, and I feel like it’s fair for us to get some kind of compensation for our image and our likeness just being on TV and just being able to just run it til the end of time,” she explained.
And finally, we hear from the one reality tv star who is currently employed. Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Margaret Josephs had this neutral take, “I think it’d be lovely if everybody could come together,” she said. “It would be amazing. I love our crew. I wish our crew was in a union but we’ll see what happens.”
If you listen to Lisa Rinna, you’ll be boycotting BravoCon 2023 in Vegas. If the strike in the entertainment industry continues, it could impact reality tv sooner than we think.
TELL US – WOULD YOU SUPPORT REALITY TV STARS GOING ON STRIKE? WILL WE SEE ANY BRAVOLEBRITIES GOING ON STRIKE?
