‘Real Housewives Of New York’ Ratings Down: Is Bethenny Frankel Responsible?

The Real Housewives of New York returned to Bravo this week with a brand new season. The Bravo cameras had been following the ladies around New York for quite some time, as they started filming the new season late last year. And despite some marketing from the Real Housewives ladies, the show didn’t return with a bang — at least not if you ask Radar Online. Apparently, 1.245 million viewers isn’t as great as it once was.

According to a new Radar Online report, the Real Housewives of New York premiere didn’t bring in the high ratings. Apparently, this is the lowest premiere ratings ever for Bethenny Frankel, who returned to the show last season after going on a hiatus for three seasons. Frankel had hinted that she didn’t want to come back to the Real Housewives franchise, but with a divorce underway and her business booming, it made sense for her to come back.

And during the Real Housewives Of New York premiere, viewers got a good handful of Frankel. She showed off her new apartment, her new business office, and gave an update on life. She got much more airtime than some of the other housewives, including Sonja Morgan. And maybe Frankel’s return to the show is turning viewers off.

Radar Online reveals that the highest ever season premiere in terms of ratings was for season 3 back in 2010. Frankel was indeed on the show back then, and she was joined by Jill Zarin, Kelly Benison, and Alex McCord. The Real Housewives landscape was way different back then. That episode had 2.04 million viewers compared to this week’s 1.245 million.

In comparison, The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 8 premiere in 2015 brought in a whopping 2.96 million viewers. Maybe the trailers for the season just didn’t make the viewers all that interested in the ladies. But Frankel did make sure to bring some drama to the Real Housewives premiere this week, as she was quick to share her opinions on newcomer, Jules Wainstein. Apparently, Frankel thought that her co-star was simply too skinny, according to People.

“She looks like a really thin girl… she looks like there’s an issue,” Frankel said during the Real Housewives premiere, adding, “I wrote a book called Natural Thin. This is not natural thin.”

Frankel admits that she does tend to have an opinion about the new Real Housewives stars that join the show. It might not always have been that way, but Frankel may be a bit more protective about who joins the Real Housewives franchise. She has often shared her thoughts on new housewives in other cities as well, as she does know some of the other ladies.

“We have a little bit of a rocky road. Ultimately we’re okay, but listen, they come in and I say what I think. It doesn’t matter if you’re new or old,” Frankel told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, adding, “I have ripped Ramona [Singer] and Luann [de Lesseps].

She later added about Jules, “She’s beautiful. And she has a credit card. So there’s that.”

Of course, Bethenny is referring to Jules’ comment that she should be getting paid to be a stay-at-home mother and that this “job” is much harder than her husband’s job? As it turns out, Frankel may not agree. Jules did explain that her husband paid her via a credit card and that she was perfectly fine with the arrangement. It will be interesting to see Jules with all of the ladies as the season continues.

What do you think about the Real Housewives of New York premiere? Are you surprised that the ratings are so low?

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