Bethenny Frankel Reportedly Told Dorinda Medley And Tinsley Mortimer About Her ‘RHONY’ Exit In Advance

Bethenny Frankel reportedly shocked a number of her former Real Housewives of New York City co-stars when she announced she was leaving the series after eight seasons last Wednesday.

While a number of the remaining members of the show have sent well-wishes to the Skinnygirl mogul in the days since her exit was confirmed, a new report from Hollywood Life has revealed that Frankel left some of the women feeling blindsided by her decision to walk away from her lucrative gig with Bravo TV.

As the outlet explained, Frankel’s decision to leave the show caused tension within the cast because she only gave a couple of the series’ stars, including Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer, a heads-up.

“It’s caused a lot of tension and drama in the cast because the ones that didn’t know, like Ramona [Singer] and Luann [de Lesseps], wish the ones that did know, like Dorinda [Medley] and Tinsley [Mortimer], told them,” an insider explained.

According to the report, Ramona Singer was especially disappointed in the way she learned the news because she and Frankel are both original cast members of The Real Housewives of New York City. As fans well know, Singer has appeared in a full-time role on the show for the entirety of its run while Frankel appeared full-time on the series’ first three seasons and later appeared on Seasons 7 through 11.

Although a number of rumors have suggested that Frankel decided to part ways with the show just before production began on the series’ 12th season, Hollywood Life‘s insider said that some of her co-stars aren’t convinced her decision was last minute.

Frankel confirmed her exit from The Real Housewives of New York City last week with a statement to Variety, explaining that she was moving on from the show in an effort to turn more of her attention on her future projects, including her new deal with MGM Television and Mark Burnett.

A short time later, a different insider suggested that Frankel didn’t give everyone a heads up about her decision because she was initially back and forth on what she should do.

“She didn’t inform her castmates as she’s been contemplating her exit,” the other Hollywood Life insider explained. “She wanted her departure to be communicated in her own words. This was a business decision and action, and Bethenny makes those choices on her own.”

The Real Housewives of New York City Season 12 is expected to air sometime early next year on Bravo TV.