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Bethenny Frankel lashes out at ‘gross’ Andy Cohen for asking ‘problematic’ questions on ‘WWHL’

Don’t expect to see Bethenny Frankel on “Watch What Happens Live” anytime soon.

The former “Real Housewives of New York City” star blasted Andy Cohen on Thursday’s episode of her “Just B” podcast, accusing him of asking his talk show guests “problematic questions.”

“The last time I went on that show, I was with my daughter, and … he’s asking these questions like, ‘Who’s the ugliest Housewife?’ And you’re like, ‘Oh, let me think,'” Frankel told her guest-of-the-week, former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes.

Frankel seemed to be posing a hypothetical example, as Cohen didn’t actually ask her that when she last appeared on the talk show in December.

Still, Frankel told Leakes that the questions being asked on the late-night talk show are “that bad.”

Bethenny Frankel attacked Andy Cohen on the latest episode of her podcast “Just B.” justbwithbethenny/Instagram
During a conversation with NeNe Leakes, Frankel said Cohen asks guests “problematic questions” on his talk show, “Watch What Happens Live.” justbwithbethenny/Instagram
Frankel went on to say the questions are “so gross” and guests often leave the show feeling like they’ve been “skinned alive.” Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images

“[He’ll ask stuff like], ‘Who’s the worst mother?’ Questions that are so problematic.”

Frankel, who left “RHONY” for a second time in 2019, went on to say that she feels Cohen is “always protected,” while the guests on the show get “f–king skinned alive” — comparing it to getting “Tobasco sauce poured over” their “naked” bodies.

“We’re out there, being thrown like pieces of meat, just to get ripped apart by [the press],” she told the former “Glee” star. “It all just seems so gross.”

Frankel, who last appeared on the show with Jeff Lewis in December, has been embroiled in an ongoing battle against Cohen, Bravo and NBCUniversal. Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images
With the help of lawyers, Frankel accused Bravo’s parent company — NBCUniversal — of manipulating reality TV stars with alcohol and condoning the “distribution of revenge porn.” © Bravo
The legal battle has negatively affected her friendship with Cohen, as Frankel recently said, “I can tell you with great certainty that everyone at Bravo likely despises me, including Andy Cohen, because it’s very personal and because they have to protect the realm.” bravoandy/Instagram

Frankel’s new attack on Cohen comes in the midst of her ongoing battle against him, Bravo and NBCUniversal, which she and Leakes also discussed in the two-part episode.


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Earlier this year, the Skinnygirl CEO wondered why reality TV stars weren’t getting involved in the Hollywood writers and actors’ guild strikes for fair pay and better contracts.

After she encouraged fellow reality TV stars to unionize, she hired a team of attorneys to go after NBCUniversal. And with her lawyers’ help, she accused Bravo’s parent company of manipulating reality TV stars with alcohol and condoning the “distribution of revenge porn.”

On Sept. 22, NBCUniversal said they would be strengthening their workplace guidelines for reality shows like “RHONY.” © Bravo
Frankel celebrated the news on Instagram, saying “The change is happening… the reality reckoning is here.” bethennyfrankel/Instagram

“NBCUniversal is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows,” an NBCUniversal spokesperson told Page Six when responding to the accusations in August. 

“At the outset, we require our third-party production partners to have appropriate workplace policies and training in place.”

Because of Frankel’s battle against Bravo, her friendship with Cohen deteriorated. During an August episode of Team Coco’s “Literally! With Rob Lowe” podcast, she said, “I can tell you with great certainty that everyone at Bravo likely despises me, including Andy Cohen, because it’s very personal and because they have to protect the realm.”

However, Frankel noted that the conversation is “far from over,” which she further proved on her podcast this week. bethennyfrankel/Instagram

On Sept. 22, it was revealed that NBCUniversal would be strengthening its workplace guidelines for reality shows, and Frankel quickly reacted on Instagram.

“The change is happening … the reality reckoning is here,” she wrote in a caption before adding that the “conversation is far from over. We are just getting started…” As her latest podcast episodes prove, she certainly wasn’t joking.

Page Six sent comment requests to reps for Cohen, Bravo and NBCUniversal, but we did not receive immediate responses.