Bethenny Frankel may be one tough cookie, but it doesn’t mean that the events of the Real Housewives of New York City don’t get to her.
The Bravo celebrity opened up about why this season of the reality series has been one of the most challenging at the PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly Upfront party Monday.
Videos by PopCulture.com
One big part of the issue is her friendship with co-star Carole Radziwill. The two used to be best friends, but this season suggests their friendship may have come upon a significant stumbling block. The reason for this is unknown at this point, but the two have even gone as far as to unfollow one another on Instagram.
“You know, listen, I care about Carole,” Frankel, 47, told PEOPLE Monday of the feud. “We met on the show, and so our interactions will air in real time on the show. That can be challenging because I’m not one of these people that’s going to hide what’s going on with my friend and not have it on camera, because we both made this commitment to viewers to be honest, and it can be challenging.”
“So I’m very subtly going through what we are going through — subtly and honestly,” she continued. “It’s a little bit difficult. The whole season was a little bit challenging for me, truthfully. Working so much, I’ve filmed [other] television shows and I’m a mom, which is very important to me, obviously — and I just cracked at the end of the season. I’m not used to that either, so it’s a very different, unsettling season for me.”
On the show, Frankel has hinted that her friendship with Radziwell deteriorated in part due to Radziwell growing closer with co-star Tinsley Mortimer. But while appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen last month, Radziwell denied that was the reason their friendship went south.
“Everything she was saying [in interviews] that I wasn’t excited to see her, that I’m thick as thieves with Tinsley — I wasn’t then and I’m not now, we’re not thick as thieves,” she said. “I’m friends with her, of course — I’m not thick as thieves, although that sounds fun.”
“None of that was true, and that wasn’t the friendship I was having with her at the time, so I was just as surprised as the audience was to hear all of that,” she continued. “In fact, I was being a really good friend. I remember at the same time I was trying to figure out dates that we could go to Golden Door together, I had sent her flowers when [her dog] Cookie died, wrote a lot of checks for her charity. I was just being a really good friend.”
Speaking to PEOPLE Now recently, Mortimer also denied she has anything to do with the feud.
“The Bethenny-Carole situation is completely separate from my relationship with Carole,” said Mortimer. “Obviously, I became close with Carole because she set me up with Scott and we took a couple of trips together in the summer after we were filming and everything. I adore her.”
“Of course, I am Team Carole — always will be,” she added. “But you know, honestly, their relationship — it’s sad. I really hope that they work things out. I have only known them being so close. When I came into this, they were best of friends, so I don’t like to see anything deteriorate or fall apart for some reason. I just hope for the best for them.”
The Real Housewives of New York City airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
