Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel zooms in to talk Real Housewives, new podcasts and more!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On with Mariez Corney Lopez Even Zoom author, entrepreneur, philanthropist
podcast or My Girl Bethany Franco, Welcome back. Always nice
to see you. Bethany, thank you. Nice to see you too.
I love the courtney I are wearing the same outfit
effectively and hairstyle. I know, I know he looks so good.

(00:20):
Well happy but lated birthday. Thank you, I appreciate. What
did you do to celebrate? I my team just I
don't like to have a big, pressure involved thing because
then when it arrives, I won't want to do it.
So I just had to peep the truck at my
house and my daughter and some of her friends and
my team was there. I did it during the day,
so it was like a sort of work thing too,

(00:41):
just nothing but everything. It's my kind of movie. Um, well,
you've got a couple of podcasts, Bethany going on. Let's
start with just b What's what's happen about? So just
be is in depth conversations with myself and someone like
you who has built an interesting, non traditional career, and

(01:02):
we get story deep. Kelly Rippa said it was like
the best kind of therapy because you just find yourself
talking about things that you didn't expect you would and
so I really love it. I'm proud of it. And
then it's got the second podcast of just bes Rants
where it could be it's just the nothingness of it all,
And for some reason that one has just exploded because

(01:24):
it's just hearing me talk about something that's aggravating me
or just like talking about it's really this is a
ranch association. Yep. Well, I always love the advice that
you would give when you're on the Real Housewives and
all of your comebacks and everything. So I'm sure, I'm
sure it's a great podcast to listen to. So what
advice would you give someone who was trying to start

(01:45):
their own business today? Someone trying to start their own
business today, Uh, to not sort of be hypnotized and
enticed by all the shiny object because we're in a
weird time where everybody thinks that everything is just instant
Starbucks drive through and social media, a post, you know,

(02:08):
we're getting on a reality show. We'll just make it
all happen. And I'm a very old school hard worker,
so I believe that you really have to start one
break at a time. That the stuff I just discussed
is not hurtful. It's it's or harmful. It's just you
need to kind of have the meat of the matter.
You need the cake, the foundation, and then to build

(02:30):
upon it with the frosting. But many people now want
to start with the frosting without having a cake. On
my good analogy, I like that. Uh My wife is
uh big Housewives fans. I'm sure you could tell she.
I don't understand how she watches episodes over It's like
it's not like a storyline that you have to keep
up with all due respect, but no, I don't either
until now you see different things every time you watch it.

(02:54):
So totally true. The reason the reason I say that
is because I've I've caught only a few. With the
few I've caught, you always stand out to me. And
I do love your your quick, witty one liners. But
you've also built a great business and I adventure to
say you Lisa, but Andra Pump maybe the most successful
ones to come out of there. Um, how real? Because
I don't know how real is some of the beef

(03:15):
with some of the houswives and how much was um
what should I say? Produced or fabricated? And and does
it still exist even now. Well, I just launched a
podcast Thursday. I don't know when does this there? When
is the Sarah Fraser? When does this their? This? Thursday? Thursday? Okay,

(03:35):
so last Thursday I launched a podcast called Rewives, which, Uh,
it's funny because by people surrounding the Bravo sphere, people
that report on it specifically and only uh made you know,
made comments that why would I go back to that?
When I left it? Uh? And I left Housewives Speak

(04:00):
because it wasn't where I wanted to be. I left
a lot of money on the table because it wasn't
the things that I wanted to be discussing or arguing about.
Or Uh. I do think it went into a different direction. Uh.
And it's been very successful and it's been embedded in
my success and vice versa, to be honest, and I

(04:20):
think so Rewives is a rewatch with myself and a
person in media entertainment, an undeniably successful person. Elizabeth Moss
was on the first one, Kevin Nealen's on one. I
mean we booked people like uh we we we people
like Jennifer jay Law who said she would do it
next season, Marion Morris, like legit, real people doing it

(04:42):
to break down Housewives episodes. And the reason I went
back is because it's I don't know amnesia. It's part
of who I am. It's part of what started me,
and it gets to me on my terms. Now you
know better than anyone, Like if you talk about say
by the Bell, now, you can discuss what really went
on behind the scenes. You may I want to be
on Saved by the Bell Now. It may be embarrassing

(05:02):
some of the things you did there, but it's definitely
part of how you started. It's in fact, how you
and I met. So it's part of your DNA, but
you get to decide how it's discussed and what your
perspective and opinion and your being included in that meant
in your life and your career. So that's why. And
to answer the question, which was a long answer, we

(05:23):
I go back and I talked about everything from what
was happening inside my body, my opinion, what was happening
break in the fourth wall, which is something that reality
TV does now that they didn't do back then. So
you could see Denise Richards saying Bravo, bravo, and and
they'll air that back in my day. They would never
air that. So by saying Bravo, Bravo, Bravo, which was

(05:45):
Kelly Bensimon saying Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt on Scary Island,
they stopped the scene. They would never stop a scene
that that's where all the action is. So it's my
perspective explaining something that actually speaks to what's going on
now on that show. And Mario respectfully, I'm definitely the
most successful was the wife that's come out of I
don't need any company at that table, but I love
Lisa Vannah Bron but she was successful before where I

(06:07):
was not. You were not. I remember I remember the
episode of you in the grocery store doing your trying
to give out your cookies, right, was it the cookies?
I was trying to get people to like my you know,
to to to taste my muffins, which sounds like a
sexual and you and do. But I was trying to
get people to taste my healthy muffins. And you could

(06:28):
hear muffin drop in there. Um. And at that time,
Lisa Vannah brom was already successful and wealthy in her
own right and had had a pre existing life. Um.
But I definitely was the first ever book on housewives,
first New York Times bestseller, first cocktail first, you know,
first of many first and many people what you were
able to parlay that? Absolutely, yes, of course that's a yeah,

(06:50):
that's a big part of it. Don't people have come
on the Housewives now because of my success and they
want to have the same thing happened, So open the
door and let everybody in. But don't they have a
law now be because of you on Bravo. It's not Bravo.
It's called the Bethany clause in the industry, which means
that people who go onto reality TV since my Forbes

(07:12):
cover and Skinny Girl deal, give the network a percentage
of what will happen in the future because they wanted
to protect themselves from that shady on their end. You know.
I mean it's funny because Shark Tank doesn't do that.
Shark Tank doesn't ask for pieces of all those businesses
that Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary are helping make major

(07:34):
which that's just not the business that they're in. And
streamers don't either, Just f y A. Streamers don't ask.
Let's say that you put your tequila on a streaming
a streamer show. They don't. They're not gonna want part
of your tequila. They're in the television there in the
streaming business. But Bravo wants to be in the take
a piece of the talent networks, sorry, networks want to
be in the take a piece of the talent business.

(07:55):
In addition, because there might be some change on the
floor there. So back to your new pod cast, some
of the housewives have not been too receptive. Um of
this new podcast and you're talking about things, would you
be willing to have them on there to hash it
out and to go over Um? No, I don't. Um,

(08:17):
that's not what the show is about. By the way,
the media is there to do that, for us to
trash in and hash in and rehash it. That's what
the media is there to do. And that's not the
show I wanted to do. I don't want to do
some catty gossip fest just for the sake of it.
I actually talked to Elizabeth Moss about the parallel between
being an actress and being on a reality show, or

(08:39):
how you actually feel inside when you're doing it, and
the sacrifices you'll make when coming up in a career,
you know, just like normal topical topic topical topical conversations.
Through the vehicle of that reality show. We could be
talking about the Smurfs and what their storyline is and

(08:59):
coming to some conclusion about how there's a parallel. It's
not necessary, you know, Scooby Doo whatever, It's not because
it's just a vehicle. And I thought it was a
funny vehicle to have Elizabeth Moss, one of the best
actresses of our time, talking about Scary Island so invested
to or you know, Jerry Springer, she's never watched an episode,
comparing it to his neo Nazi Jerry Springer episode. There's

(09:20):
like a crazy stuff that comes out. It's really comparison now,
he said, because there was the communion you saw you
you watch Gordney the Well, we didn't reveal that yet. Anyway,
we're liking we have people like Jerry Springer. You are
finding parallels in the show in his life, and so
it's crazy. That's so funny, that's so far. By the way, Uh, congratulations,

(09:43):
you got engaged this last year, right, I got engaged
last year. Was it even longer? I think it was
like almost a year and a half. Ago. Congratulations. Any
any wedding plans yet? Do you have a date picked
or we don't. Definitely don't have a date pick, And
we definitely don't have plans where life partners. We are
in a you know, healthy relationship. And for some reason,
you know, the beginning and I think about this a

(10:05):
lot of think about the wedding industry in general and
what and that the younger generation is just about the
dress and the ring and you know, all the things
that aren't what's important, the frosting. So in the beginning,
there were so many conversations about that, and I just said,
I like where the conversations were going because they became
about the wrong things. You have this person, you have

(10:26):
to do it this way. And I'm now twenty three again,
I'm like, you know, my my my body, my choice,
and Paul's body, Paul's choice. And we just sort of
tabled it because it just didn't see, you know, it
just didn't seem we just didn't care about that part
of it that much. You're right, most people get caught
up with the wedding without focusing on the marriage itself.
So I think we've all done that. Everybody in this

(10:47):
room has done that. Yeah, yeah, well, congratulations on that
everything personally and professionally. Hopefully we get to see Ah
in person soon, Bethany. Meanwhile, listen to Just be end
Rewives with Bethany and iHeart Radio or wherever you get
your podcasts. Thanks for checking in. Thank you. And this
is not to put on the spot. You could do

(11:08):
it or not do it. You should do you, you
should come on. It's like totally different. We're not asking
me about your life, your personal life, but it's funny
the stuff that comes out. If you want to come on,
if you think it's fun, Elizabeth has to do it again.
I mean, it's ridiculous. You think it's a fun idea,
You're welcome to come on. That'd be fun. Thank you.
We'll talk about our times we're at the beach exactly. Yeah.
But by the way, that's exactly behind the scenes, and
we can make a parallel between Saved by the Bell

(11:29):
and the House was and that's where the show would
be interesting. Okayparting. I like you so much, You're so sweet.
Thank you, and I like to show up at a ponytail.
You don't give a good as you guys have very
similar personalities. Saying that because she's sassy and funny. You say,
I know, I think we're the same person. I like

(11:50):
a funny, sassy woman, really fascinating, and i'd also be
But I can't wait to hear if you ever we
do something together. Ever, what your perspective as was of
that time, Like I was just a p A And
it's just so funny. It's funny that we're now. You
were on such a different level, like such a different level.

(12:10):
I was a p A, like you know, it just
was different. But in your mind you probably were nobody too,
because you were an actor, beginning actor, which is funny.
The perspective is different because to me, you guys were
like so big and famous and and you were. But
it's just funny to think of your career now and
how you entered through Saved by the Bell to have
this big career. Yeah, well thank you, and yes, I'd

(12:33):
love to do it, so let me know. Awesome, all right, cool, alright, thanks,
we'll talk to you. Mario Lopez will be right back.