Since the move to shame reality TV got underway, Andy Cohen has kept his opinions to himself. Bethenny Frankel felt that the industry that made her famous needed to be taken down a few pegs. The former Real Housewives of New York star made it her mission to shed light on a situation that she deemed very serious. But the Bravo kingpin still kept his thoughts to himself. However, the beloved host is now commenting for the first time.
Andy Cohen is getting stuff off his chest
It feels like we are in the aftermath of the reality TV reckoning. Andy told Variety, “I don’t really think about it.” While hanging out at Hayu’s FanFest in a London hotel, Andy seemed unphased by the movement to bring his entire industry to its knees. The Emmy-winning executive producer told the outlet, “I just think it’s amazing that we have such enthusiastic and passionate fans across the pond. The story in the States is the passion of our fandom, and to come over here and just get stopped all over town by people sharing the same sentiments, it speaks to the success of the brand.” The sentiment sparks a thought that perhaps reality TV could never be stopped or even slowed down.
Bethenny’s movement was a speed bump on Bravo’s road to success—nothing more, nothing less. For his part, Andy is “proud” of all that has been accomplished. The father of two shared, “My job is always focusing on making the shows that I produce — and as I said a year ago, and I’ll say it again now — I am so proud to partner with incredible production companies. I am proud of the systems that we had in place a year ago, and I’m proud of the systems that we have in place now that are built to look after people’s mental health and also produce absolutely great television that people around the world love.”
Andy Cohen is proud of how far reality TV has come
Andy added, “Most specifically, I love the women that are on the “Housewives” and our partnerships with them. There was just an incredible article in the L.A. Times where Heather Gay talked about how much the show has changed her life, why she thinks it’s important for women, and why it’s a feminist show — and it reiterates everything important for me about this show, and it drowns out the nonsense that can be a byproduct of it.” As for Bethenny and her crusade, Andy is just trying to move past the scandals.
When asked if Bethenny had ever reached out, Andy noted, “I don’t really pay attention. She’s very active on TikTok; I’m not on TikTok.” Fans will recall that Andy and Bethenny used to be bosom buddies. I think it was obvious Bethenny was going to make something of herself, so she was a good friend to have. Much of Bethenny’s success was attributed to Andy hiring her in 2008 for the Big Apple series. However, in 2019, after B officially left RHONY, fans and Andy weren’t thrilled at what she said about the show.
What was the reality TV reckoning?
Bethenny wanted the talent from all the major stations to band together and unionize. But the dream never got traction. Bethenny felt the industry had an exploitative nature and poor treatment of the people on the shows. At one point, she called reality TV the “wild wild west.” B shared that those who worked on the shows were not treated humanely. She went as far as to criticize Bravo’s use of non-disclosure agreements, claiming that they are used to prevent cast and crew from speaking out, noting there was a dark side. Even though Bethenny may have fallen short at the finish line regarding her campaign, SAG did offer reality stars membership under their Network Television Code.
Bravo and Andy have faced multiple lawsuits, including allegations of sexual harassment, mistreatment, and encouraging cast members to relapse. Caroline Manzo, Leah McSweeney, and Brandi Glanville have all launched complaints against the network. As of now, none have been resolved. Andy is looking toward the future and hopes to put this dark part further behind him.
