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

Former “Real Housewives of New 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 would be returning to the “Real Housewives” franchise in 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 a similar concept to “UGT” and said that Bravo shot it down because Leakes was too “toxic.”

Frankel, one of the OG “Real Housewives of New York” cast 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 people make decisions for many 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 corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not, encouraged,” a portion of the lawsuit stated. “As the Black Lives Matter movement swept our nation, Mrs. Leakes — Bravo’s historically most successful Black female talent — should have been embraced by NBC, Bravo, and True.”

According to Frankel, she has “never in history heard of someone [going] after a company, taking legal action for different accusations, and then that company hiring them back.” Continuing, Frankel called it an “interesting dynamic” before spilling even more tea.

According to a previous report from The Blast, Leakes will return to Bravo in the upcoming “Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip” spin-off, which will celebrate 20 years of the iconic franchise. While Leakes won’t be a full-time cast member, the bold TV personality will have a “notable” presence during 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 around the country in an RV. Frankel claimed that after her meetings with producers, they told her that the show wouldn’t work because Leakes was “kryptonite” and “toxic” and that “they could 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. However, she said Bravo’s latest move was an “interesting” look at how dynamics can change. “I think it’s a positive thing. The bridge was not burned because they’re doing this show with NeNe with the same concept.”

As she concluded the video, Frankel, once again, expressed her happiness for Leakes and ended with a seemingly shady message. “You’re 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 believe had come to an end. “I’m happy, overjoyed to say that I will be returning to Bravo,” she said.

The former Broadway star thanked a host of people, including Bravo executives Frances Berwick and Andy Cohen, as well as Bravo talent such as Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks.

“So many people that have continued to throw my name in the ring. Thank you to everybody over at Bravo. Thank you to all the people over at Truly Original. Thank you, Shed Media. Thank you to the producers on the ground who are calling and texting me, wanting this to be an amazing thing,” she said.

The Blast reported that numerous Bravo stars sent their congratulations and well-wishes to Leakes, including “Real Housewives of New 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’t wait. The door is open. 20 years of Housewives is now complete!! Let’s celebrate.”

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

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