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Real Housewives of New York City (RHONY) alum Bethenny Frankel opened up about the terms of her season 1 contract. In a TikTok video posted by the former housewife on Thursday, April 6, 2023, the star revealed that she was paid a total of $7250, which she wasn't opposed to back then. When fans asked if this was for one episode, Bethenny noted that it was for the whole season.
Bethenny Frankel appeared on RHONY as an original cast member in 2008 for seasons 1 through 3. She then returned to the series after a brief break in season 7 through season 11, following which she exited the show.
In a TikTok video, the RHONY alum said:
"The contract said $7,250 which I did not dispute. I was a nobody. That was a lot of money to me. All I had was time on my hands. No kids, no family, no problem."
Ricky Comby from Married to Medicine agreed to the housewife's comments and shared his experience. He said:
RHONY alum Bethenny Frankel talks about the "Bethenny Clause"
According to the New Yorker, Frankel was initially presented with a contract from Bravo which stated that the network will earn a particular percentage of any business promoted on the show. However, the RHONY alum declined it. The contract was then tweaked to state that she would completely own anything she would promote or showcase on the show.
This resulted in a huge benefit to Frankel, who went on to sell her Skinnygirls Cocktails business for a whopping $120 million in 2011.
Speaking about the same, the entrepreneur explained the reason behind refusing to sign the contract. She said:
"The only thing I did cross out was the thing that said Bravo would take a percentage of anything I make. I was a nobody...but somewhere down deep inside of me, I understood conceptually that was wrong. I was going places, and nobody was going to own any part of it."
While speaking, she noted in the caption that at the time of joining the season, she lived in a one-bedroom studio. After news outlets reported that she's sold the cocktail portion of her business, the reality star said that Bravo, the entertainment industry, and reality television "woke up."
The entrepreneur then explained how she inspired the term "Bethenny Clause" because of this and said:
"They created what is now referred to as the Bethenny Clause, which means that anybody going on reality TV has to give a percentage to the powers that be."
Speaking directly to fans, she asked everyone never to make assumptions about someone being smarter than them. She said:
“You are smarter than you think. I was a nobody, I was not a businessperson, I had no institutional knowledge or experience in any of this. I read a contract. Something didn’t feel right to me, and I took it out. And it changed my entire life, and it changed the entertainment industry and their practices."
Celebrities pitch in to Bethenny Frankel's narrative
Celebrities took to the comment section on her video to pitch in. While some agreed that this was an issue, others felt the need to read their contracts again. Take a look at some of the comments below:
Frankel has been a prominent figure in the Housewives franchise. She constantly talks about her journey on the show. The star has kept her over 3 million followers updated about business ventures and personal life as well.
