Bethenny Frankel Seems Surprised Bravo Working With ‘Toxic’ NeNe Leakes

Former “Real Housewives of Latest York City” star Bethenny Frankel insinuated that she was surprised to see Bravo reuniting with “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum NeNe Leakes after she sued the network in 2022.

In January 2026, Leakes made headlines when she confirmed that she can be returning to the “Real Housewives” franchise within the network’s “Ultimate Girls Trip” spin-off.

In a TikTok video, Frankel congratulated NeNe Leakes on her epic comeback before revealing she once pitched a show with an analogous concept to “UGT” and said that Bravo shot it down because Leakes was too “toxic.”

Frankel, certainly one of the OG “Real Housewives of Latest York” solid members, shared a video saying she was “thrilled” for Leakes, who has been away from the network since 2020. In her video, Frankel explained that individuals make decisions for a lot of reasons, whether financial or for relevance.

With that, the Skinnygirl founder alluded to her shock that Bravo buried the hatchet with Leakes, who, in 2022, accused the network of discrimination in a bombshell lawsuit.

“NBC, Bravo and True foster a company and workplace culture wherein racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not, encouraged,” a portion of the lawsuit stated. “Because the Black Lives Matter movement swept our nation, Mrs. Leakes — Bravo’s historically most successful Black female talent — must have been embraced by NBC, Bravo, and True.”

In keeping with Frankel, she has “never in history heard of somebody [going] after an organization, taking legal motion for various accusations, after which that company hiring them back.” Continuing, Frankel called it an “interesting dynamic” before spilling much more tea.

In keeping with a previous report from The Blast, Leakes will return to Bravo within the upcoming “Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip” spin-off, which can have a good time 20 years of the long-lasting franchise. While Leakes won’t be a full-time solid member, the daring TV personality could have a “notable” presence through the Atlanta episode of the road trip.

In her TikTok, Frankel revealed that she pitched a show to Bravo years ago about herself and Leakes traveling across the country in an RV. Frankel claimed that after her meetings with producers, they told her that the show would not work because Leakes was “kryptonite” and “toxic” and that “they may never touch it.”

Continuing, Frankel noted that she doesn’t think Bravo stole her idea, stating that road trips have been filmed and aired for years. Nevertheless, she said Bravo’s latest move was an “interesting” have a look at how dynamics can change. “I feel it is a positive thing. The bridge was not burned because they’re doing this show with NeNe with the identical concept.”

As she concluded the video, Frankel, once more, expressed her happiness for Leakes and ended with a seemingly shady message. “You are welcome,” she said. “Time heals all wounds.”

In a video shared online, Leakes confirmed her return to Bravo, describing her comeback as a “really long, long journey” that she couldn’t imagine had come to an end. “I’m blissful, overjoyed to say that I will likely be returning to Bravo,” she said.

The previous Broadway star thanked a number of individuals, including Bravo executives Frances Berwick and Andy Cohen, in addition to Bravo talent akin to Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks.

“So many people who have continued to throw my name within the ring. Thanks to everybody over at Bravo. Thanks to all of the people over at Truly Original. Thanks, Shed Media. Thanks to the producers on the bottom who’re calling and texting me, wanting this to be an incredible thing,” she said.

The Blast reported that quite a few Bravo stars sent their congratulations and well-wishes to Leakes, including “Real Housewives of Latest Jersey” stars Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice. “Welcome back, my love,” Giudice wrote, while Gorga added, “There she is!!!!”

Leakes’ former co-star Cynthia Bailey added, “The door is back open! Welcome back,” while Williams commented, “I can not wait. The door is open. 20 years of Housewives is now complete!! Let’s have a good time.”

In a separate statement, Cohen broke his silence on Leakes’ upcoming appearance, saying the fandom is “very blissful about it.”

Cohen, who faced several allegations from Leakes between 2020 and 2022, added, “Listen, we’re going to be celebrating 20 years of Housewives, and it will be hard to not without her, and so I’m blissful about it.”