Bethenny Frankel and NeNe Leakes Dish About Their Andy Cohen Drama

In accordance with Bethenny Frankel and NeNe Leakes, their friendships with Andy Cohen have been by no means as good as they appeared on TV.

The previous Actual Housewives stars opened up about their respective drama with Cohen, 55, throughout a prolonged two-part episode of Frankel’s “Simply B” podcast on Thursday, September 28. Frankel, 52, mentioned Cohen’s relationships with Housewives stars generally really feel like a “recreation” to turn out to be “Andy’s Favourite.”

She defined: “There’s at all times questions, ‘Who texts you essentially the most? Who do you textual content essentially the most?’ And the factor is, we’re all within the recreation. … All of us need his approval, all of us wish to be the favourite. We would like to have the ability to say, ‘I’ve been on that present essentially the most.’ It’s like a calling card.”

Frankel went on to notice that “there’s a psychology that goes on with this group and this present,” including, “He was an govt and he’s a producer so there’s this energy play. … It’s difficult.”

The Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis alum’s relationship with Cohen made headlines earlier this yr when she claimed he “despises” her for talking out towards the poor remedy of actuality stars and rallying to unionize notice TV casts and crews. Her “actuality TV reckoning” has obtained assist from SAG-AFTRA amid the union’s present Hollywood strike for truthful pay and higher contracts.

“I’m on this hybrid world the place I believe, ‘We sort of actually don’t like one another, however we’re each enjoying this recreation.’ And but, when issues are taking place for me, he’s probably not congratulating me,” Frankel instructed Leakes, 55. “And I really feel like he has this kind of resentment as a result of I’m imagined to be beneath him, as a result of we kind of got here up on the similar time. … So I’m considering, ‘I don’t suppose he likes me in any respect. I believe we have been each enjoying this recreation for a while.’ And at some point I simply determined to not be afraid and open my f—king mouth as a result of the one individual I used to be defending in that complete realm was him, and he hasn’t been defending me.”

Leakes, for her half, instructed Frankel she feels “the identical means you do,” noting, “I don’t suppose he ever favored me.” The previous Actual Housewives of Atlanta star filed a lawsuit towards Cohen and Bravo in April 2022, accusing them of “[fostering a corporate and workplace culture in which racially insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not encouraged.”

The lawsuit was dismissed that August after Leakes and the defendants filed a joint stipulation without prejudice before a hearing took place. Since then, Leakes has claimed that Cohen closed doors for her in the entertainment industry.

“As a Black woman, I have to be able to do everything. At the end of the day, I do cartwheels and flips,” she told Frankel on Thursday. “They shut my work down. I do everything. So you mean to tell me as [a] gifted individual, there was nothing for me to host, there was nothing for me to behave in, sing in, dance in, bounce in clap in — nothing?”

Leakes in contrast her scenario to that of The Actual Housewives of Orange County alum Vicki Gunvalson, who continued to seem on Bravo after she withdrew her 2019 defamation lawsuit towards costar Kelly Dodd.

“My emotions are they stunning a lot mentioned, ‘F that Black bitch!’” Leakes acknowledged. “They by no means revered me, nobody, to even give me one name. … I need truthful remedy.”

Cohen has not publicly addressed Frankel and Leakes’ podcast feedback.