Bethenny Frankel Turns The Tables on Andy Cohen: Special One-On-One #WWHL Interview

Bethenny Frankel, star of the “Real Housewives of New York,” turned the tables on Andy Cohen Tuesday night on “Watch What Happens Live.” The show wasn’t actually live, proof from all of the episode flashbacks from multiple cities, but it was a really good idea by Bravo. Also, it was nice to see Andy in the hot seat for a change, though he handled it like a pro.

First question, Bethenny lobbed a softball into Andy’s lap asking if he felt like he was part of the creation of the Housewives. The answer won’t surprise anyone that he was there from the beginning. When did Andy know he had a hit on his hands? Season two of RHOC.

“Jeana Keough and Matt Keough… we were shooting the second season of RHOC and it came to light on the show that they were having martial problems. In the beginning I thought this could be like a soap opera, but in season 2 it really hit me that Jeana’s marriage was falling apart. I was like, ‘This is a soap opera I care about. I care about Jeana and what happens.’”

Next he was asked about divorce and reality television. Andy explained, “It’s accelerated marriages that weren’t working. I’ve talked to Tamra about this. I’ve talked to Vicki… if they were in a relationship that wasn’t working, they somehow saw it replayed on TV and they were like, ‘Wow this is really bad.’ They had a chorus of people saying, ‘Dump him, dump him,’ and they actually had the balls to do it.”

Andy and Bethenny then discussed which housewives he’s been most wrong about. He admitted being “reticent” about Bethenny and Lisa Rinna, who auditioned for Season 1, and Kim Zolciak.

“I’ve been wrong 1,000 times. I didn’t get Kim Zolciak for the casting of Atlanta. I was like, ‘I don’t get her.’ She looked like a country star to me, she’s wearing the wig. I just didn’t get it.”

A flashback of Kim and the wig she wore that first season was quite funny. Bye, wig! For future Housewives wannabe’s, Andy explained it’s all about who you know.

“We have screwed up before and in theory we didn’t get it right with Joyce and Carlton on Beverly Hills. They would have been great Housewives, but they didn’t have a natural connection to any of the women. I think a natural, real connection as a point of entry is important, which is part of the reason I think Dorinda is a great Housewife.”

Bethenny asked Andy to explain the difference in the hate to hate versus the love to hate that viewers have for castmembers.

“…Some people they love to hate… they’re a thorn in their side but they say, ‘Would I watch the show without them?’ Maybe not. Then there are people they hate to hate, which means it’s not fun.”

Next, Bethenny and Andy discussed the biggest conflict he’s encountered with the Housewives.

“It’s Jersey,” he said without hesitation. “There are so many layers… ‘If she’s on, I won’t.’ There’s been miss-telling and the story has been told  so many times wrong about the backstory with the Teresa, Melissa Gorga issue of when Melissa was cast and when Teresa knew. Right now, it’s not real what’s been put out there. Certainly I don’t think Teresa really cared for them to be on the show… and they both have wildly different stories and somewhere in the middle is the truth.”

Never to shy away from questions of a sexual nature, Bethenny asked Andy to name which housewives, both male and female, he would sleep with.

“I think for men… I always lean toward Apollo. I know you’ve never been with a black guy, but the time has come,” he teased Bethenny. “For a Housewife, I think I might say Joanna Krupa. She’s very hot.”

When asked about the flack he received from viewers concerning how he conducts himself during the reunion shows, Andy said, “It’s all such bullshit.” Adding that “If I ever say anything on the show (teasing-wise) and I hear about it from someone mainly from the West Coast. I do care because I want to be clear with them that they may be misconstruing it. I don’t want people to think I’m slamming them on the air. I poke at everybody and I give it up for any Housewife out there because they take a lot of crap from me and they take a lot from viewers.” He also discussed his handling of Brandi Glanville.

“At this last Beverly Hills reunion, I got a lot of heat for either being too hard on Brandi or not being hard enough on her.”

Andy admitted most of his “haters” are Jersey fans. “The New Jersey fans are really hardcore with me,” he explained. “When Jersey is on I’m kind of like, ‘Oh God I want this season to be over,’ because I feel like they’re going to come burn my house down a little bit.” Andy is hopeful that the Trehuggers finally understand that he actually cares about Teresa. Bethenny was very impressed with Teresa, who is in jail, and has a huge following.

Lastly, Bethenny asked Andy what his greatest Housewife moment has been on any show. “I don’t think I can pick,” he said. “Okay. It’s just an absurd moment and it defines the entire operation to me. It was the season 1 Atlanta reunion when I was asking (sic) Kim Zolciak about her having cancer. And she went into this story about sitting in a Chili’s waiting for cancer results… it was just so absurd that it just told me this is the Ramonacoaster that I’m now on.”

 

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