Bethenny Frankel Reveals She Only Made $7,250 For Her First Season Of The Real Housewives Of New York City!

Bethenny Frankel admits she was only offered $7,250 for her first season of The Real Housewives of New York City in 2008.

“When I signed on to the ‘Housewives,’ the contract said $7,250 for the entire season,” she revealed on The Tamron Hall Show.

“I wasn’t looking at the money … you can’t always look at the money, you have to look at the big picture, the other opportunities, you have to look at the whole board, not just the pieces — and the money was just the pieces,” Frankel said, according to Page Six.

Frankel ended up becoming a fan favorite and eventually getting a raise. She became successful after launching her Skinnygirl brand.

“I ended up being the highest-paid ‘Housewife’ when I left because I had leverage and I left [in 2010], and the ratings were affected and they wanted me to come back,” she said. “And when I did ultimately leave this last time [in 2019], people thought I was leaving because I wasn’t getting more money.” But, Frankel said, “I was leaving because I was staying because of the money”

Frankel left RHONY in August 2019 to focus on other projects, including her philanthropy and family after a contract dispute reportedly did not go her way. She was a full-time cast member from the show’s inception in 2008 until its fourth season (2011). She returned to the show in 2015 for Season 7 and left again at the end of Season 11.

Since leaving the show she landed a competition reality show on HBO Max. In February the news was revealed that Frankel scored an eight-episode series, called “The Big Shot With Bethenny” (working title).

In September 2020, Frankel launched her own podcast called Just B, which she teamed with Endeavor Content for Just B, a podcast devoted to being a self-made mogul in business, lifestyle, and beyond. 

Photo Credit: Bravo/NBCUniversal