Bethenny Frankel‘s cast members are still trying to process her sudden departure from The Real Housewives of New York.
As we reported on Wednesday, the Skinnygirl creator announced she is leaving the hit show for good before its twelfth season, which began filming earlier this week.
The news came as a shock to diehard fans who’ve followed the 48-year-old’s reality TV journey since it began back in 2008. However, multiple sources close to the situation say no one is more shocked than the RHONY cast!
Related: Bethenny Frankel Shares Touching Tribute To Late BF Dennis Shields!
According to two different insiders at Entertainment Tonight, the show’s other cast members were not given a real head’s up that Frankel was exiting the show. Instead, they found out about it in the press just like the rest of us!
One of the (above) mentioned sources called Frankel’s exit straight-up “blindsiding.”
One of the newest members of the Real Housewives cast, Barbara Kavovit, spoke with ET to weigh in on the beloved alum’s decision to leave the franchise, telling the publication:
“Bethenny played such a huge role on RHONY over the years and I’m sad to see her leave the show. That being said, she excels at all that she does and I’m excited to see what the future holds for her.”
The same day of her surprise announcement, Frankel took a moment while hanging by the beach to hop on her Instagram Story and thank fans for their love and support over the years.
Speaking directly and candidly to the camera, she asked her followers:
“Are we not talking about the elephant in the room, or in the beach, about what happened today? It was a big day, big doings, and I’m dying and loving all of your comments. I’m not going to pretend that’s not going down. Literally if I could get my heart out of my chest and I would give it to you, because feeling it, reading it, loving it, [I] live for you.”
Bethenny concluded her message, adding:
“You are everything to me.”
This isn’t the last we’ll see of the Bravolebrity, though!
The Bethenny Ever After alum told Variety, who first reported the news, of a deal in the works with MGM Television and Mark Burnett where she will develop unscripted projects:
“I have decided to leave the Housewives franchise to explore my next chapter. It’s time to move on and focus on my daughter [Bryn Hoppy], my philanthropy and my production partnership with Mark Burnett, producing and starring in shows which represent a shift in the conversation for women. With the changes in modern culture, I want to highlight the strength, confidence and unstoppable power that women have. My experience at Bravo has been an incredibly magical ride. I am so grateful to them for highlighting my entrepreneurialism and allowing me to pave the way for many women to achieve their goals. I am excited for my future. The best is yet to come.”
Perezcious readers, we have to admit — we’re just as sad as many of you probably are about Bethenny’s exit. Especially because it doesn’t sound like she’ll make a surprise comeback and return to the series as she did in 2015. Bummer!
We wish her all of the best with her new business ventures! Go girl!
We want to know what U think of this RHONY shocker! Are U bummed? Indifferent? Tell us in the comments section down (below)!
[Image via Derrick Salters/WENN]
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