Andy Cohen is offering his thoughts on how the Real Housewives franchise has changed over the years — and how he feels about Bethenny Frankel and Leah McSweeney’s claims about the network.
Cohen, 55, said he has “a lot to say” about former friend and The Real Housewives of New York City alum Frankel’s “reality reckoning,” which has become a buzzword as she attempts to unionize reality stars.
“If you look at shows like American Idol, Survivor, The Bachelor or the Below Deck people, 90 percent or more of the reality stars on them are on for one season or less,” Cohen explained in his The Hollywood Reporter profile, published on Wednesday, May 8. “Also, acting is a full-time profession. You don’t go to school to be a reality star. Reality stars typically have other jobs.”
The Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host made it clear that he was speaking “as an independent producer” and his thoughts no way crossed with Bravo’s.
“I think the way that Bravo pays people is that it’s a buyout — they’re buying them out for a show that can be distributed in certain ways, and the longer you stay on, the higher your salary gets. And salaries for people who have been on a long time are really high. Look, you’re not drafted into the Real Housewives. You either want to be on the show or not, and you either see it as having some greater benefit for you or not.”
While he didn’t slam Frankel — or anyone for that matter — in THR profile Cohen did get candid. Keep scrolling for the biggest Bravo-related takeaways:
1. Where He Stands With Disgraced Housewives
Cohen called himself “a nostalgic person” who is “proud” of the close relationships he’s made over the years on Bravo. While not naming anyone specifically, Cohen said it’s “hurtful” when he becomes targets for the former stars.
“I think most people involved with these shows have been very grateful for the platform, but there will always be a few with complaints,” Cohen said. “But I have no regrets about the way I’ve handled anything. I think everything that happens in your life informs the next thing that happens in your life. That’s the way I look at all this. I know what the truth is, and I know how I’ve conducted myself, and I walk tall every day on that.”
2. Subtle Response to the Various Allegations
Former Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo sued Bravo in January over an alleged incident with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville while they were filming Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip season 4. Glanville also accused Cohen of sexual harassment in February, which he’s since denied.
Former RHONY star McSweeney, for her part, sued Cohen and Bravo in February, claiming that they exploited her struggles with alcoholism. During his THR profile, Cohen reacted to the various allegations with one short and sweet sentence.
“Unfortunately, I can’t talk about some of these things,” he said, seemingly referring to them being ongoing legal matters.
3. Sobriety and Bravo
One thing Cohen did speak about, however, is the relationship between Bravo and alcohol. While he didn’t name McSweeney, these comments appeared to be directed toward her claims.
“What I’ll say about the alcohol is that we have so many sober people and people who have gotten sober on the show, like Countess Luann [de Lesseps]. We have people who’ve never had a drink during the entire run of the show,” he said. “Jill Zarin. Kandi Burris. Heather Dubrow will just have an occasional glass of champagne.”
Cohen noted that Bravo doesn’t “force anyone to do anything.” He added, “No one is secretly hiding liquor bottles on set. That’s ridiculous. We’ve been very supportive of people’s sobriety.”
The producer also made it clear that with some of the colorful characters in the Real Housewives franchise they don’t need liquor “to gin up drama” among the women.
“Have you seen Ramona Singer on a random Tuesday at 1 p.m.? Have you ever run into Lisa Rinna at noon? Lisa Rinna does not need a glass of rosé in order to tell you exactly how she is feeling,” Cohen joked. “Margaret Josephs only drinks Diet Coke, and she is a truth cannon wherever she goes. I don’t think Teresa Giudice would say that it was the red wine that caused her to flip that table! We start filming the reunions at 6 a.m. for God’s sake!”
4. Why There’s No BravoCon in 2024
The official BravoCon announcement was made last month — but the three-day convention is skipping this year’s event and going back to Las Vegas for 2025. When asked why, Cohen admitted the convention is “a massive undertaking” overall, noting the 160 Bravo stars, 30,00 people in attendance and five live WWHL episodes.
“It was just a tremendous amount of effort. And when it ended, I remember saying to [NBCU chairman] Frances Berwick, maybe we should skip next year or do it in a year and a half. It will be more special that way,” he recalled. “Also, the space we wanted was only available nine months after we had already done it. And that seemed way too soon. But ultimately it was a Bravo decision, not mine.”
While the decision was recently announced, Bravo made the call “eight months ago,” per Cohen. “People tied it into what’s been happening. But it had absolutely nothing to do with that,” he added.
5. Will Tori Spelling Be on ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’?
Spelling has been making a case to join RHOBH for years. Her most recent attempt was on an episode of her “Misspelling” podcast last month. At the time Spelling wondered if she wasn’t on the show “because I’m broke.”
Cohen, for his part, told THR it’s nothing personal against Spelling.
“Tori Spelling has made a lot of noise about wanting to be on the show. She’d definitely bring great drama, but we’ve never really had a serious conversation about her for some reason,” he said. “I actually have mixed feelings about having stars on the show. When Lisa Rinna was trying out for season one of Beverly Hills, I was very much against the idea. Like, she’s already a celebrity! But then she came, and it made perfect sense.”
