Andy Cohen Defends RHONY Reboot After Bethenny Frankel Panned It

Not long after Bethenny Frankel slammed the Real Housewives Of New York City reboot, Andy Cohen spoke at length about his faith in the future of the franchise.

There's no reason to think that Andy's commentary was definitely inspired by Bethenny's since-deleted TikTok critique — but it's also no secret that there's no love lost between Andy and Bethenny.

Neither Andy nor Bethenny are known for mincing words, and the RHONY OG was true to form on TikTok last weekend, dragging the reboot.

She joked that "thirty people in the country" had bothered to watch the RHONY reboot, and began:

"Saturday morning, firing a random shot, I have seen enough videos of people saying Real Housewives is unwatchable, it is a disaster ...

"So this is gonna be a hot take, and surprising, but justice for [original RHONY cast members] Sonja [Morgan], Dorinda [Medley], Luann [de Lesseps] and Ramona [Singer], because they were ride or die."

Bethenny went on to call Bravo out for spending more on the new RHONY cast, and she accused the network of discarding the women who made Real Housewives Of New York City a hit in the first place:

"[Original RHONY cast members] have always been like the stepchildren. They’ve always been discarded. I know the money they've gotten paid, I know the demotions, the budgets, the premiere budgets.

"They know, I know, we know, you know. The new girls, I'm sure they’re lovely. I haven’t seen the show ... But these women, as they got older, just got dropped off at the side of the road."

She concluded, addressing the network:

"And, Bravo, now youse can't leave. You got, like, 200,000 viewers watching this piece of trash. So, go get the old girls, and dust 'em off, and mix 'em in. Humble pie is coming in hot."

Although Bethenny deleted her TikTok, we have a feeling Andy got wind of Bethenny's rant.

Again, it's not clear his remarks were inspired by hers, but he defended the reboot in a Deadline interview not long after she weighed in on the new RHONY.

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Andy Cohen And Bravo's Disturbing Allegations Launched By The Real Housewives Cast, Explained

Andy Cohen, known for producing Bravo's Real Housewives, has faced controversies and allegations, including accusations of sexual harassment from Brandi Glanville and claims of fostering a toxic work environment by Leah McSweeney. Glanville accused Cohen of sending an inappropriate video, which he dismissed as a joke but later apologized for. McSweeney's lawsuit alleged Cohen encouraged substance abuse among Real Housewives stars and provided preferential treatment to those using drugs. Despite these issues, Cohen remains employed by Bravo, with no updates on potential settlements or his employment status.

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Andy's Praise For The RHONY Reboot Is Lukewarm

Andy Cohen looking off camera on WWHL — Andy Cohen on WWHL

Andy was in Miami for a Bravo event when he spoke with the entertainment trade publication about several Real Housewives franchises, RHONY among them.

Deadline pointed out that comparisons between iterations of Real Housewives Of New York City franchises were rife (not mentioning Bethenny's), and Andy said:

"I think there are a lot of interesting personal stories with the women in the new New York. I think the group dynamic is a little bit of a challenge this season.

"I think the rap on the group in Season 1 was, ‘Oh, there’s not a lot of history there.’ The interesting thing about them this season is they hang out a lot, and they are a cohesive group."

If the most interesting thing Andy could think of was that the new girls are "a cohesive group," that kind of sounds like he was damning them with faint praise.

He did say he "believed in" the new cast, and continued:

"I really believe in this group of women. I think they’re very aspirational. I think they’re fun to watch. I think the clothes and the window into a different kind of New York is all what we wanted it to be."

Ultimately, Andy says that Bravo is "kind of looking to the future" with the RHONY reboot, adding that he "loved the original, but this is a new group."

Season 15 of The Real Housewives Of New York City airs Tuesdays on Bravo, with next-day streaming on Peacock.