If there’s one thing about Bethenny Frankel, it’s that she loves to take credit for her accomplishments, both big and small. If you ask her, she invented the margarita and was America’s first reality TV. Her latest claim? She says she played a big part in getting Lisa Rinna cast on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Did Bethenny Frankel get Lisa Rinna on RHOBH?
The former reality reckoner recently appeared on The Skinny Confidential podcast to run through all of her usual talking points about her career. During the conversation, she claimed she inspired other celebrities to use reality TV as a launching pad for businesses. In particular, she called out Lisa and Harry Hamlin.
“Everybody copied,” Bethenny declared. “I mean everybody, including Lisa and Harry, saying that, you know, it was for the business platform.”
Rinna joined RHOBH in Season 5 and spent eight seasons on the show. According to Bethenny, she was the one who convinced Andy Cohen to cast her in the first place.
“Lisa and Harry, I was the one who told Andy about Lisa,” Bethenny claimed.
“I was the one who told him. He didn’t like Lisa,” she continued. “He didn’t want to have her on. I was the one who told Lisa to do The Apprentice and the Housewives.”
Although Bethenny supposedly helped Rinna get her diamond on RHOBH, their relationship soured as Rinna’s star power got bigger at Bravo. During a 2023 episode of her podcast, Bethenny said that Housewives changed Rinna for the worse.
“I used to love Lisa. We used to be friends,” Bethenny said at the time. “I liked her. I respected her. She was so down-to-earth and real. I stopped liking [her] when I saw what the machine of the Housewives did to her.”
So, did Bethenny create a Beverly Hills monster? If you let her tell the story, then yes. Absolutely.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BETHENNY TAKING CREDIT FOR RINNA’S RHOBH CASTING? ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT BETHENNY IS STILL TALKING ABOUT HOUSEWIVES AFTER HER REALITY RECKONING?
