Bethenny Frankel Was Supposed To Bring Leah McSweeney Onto RHONY Which Caused Drama With The Cast On
This is the juicy behind the scenes scoop we live for!
Following The Real Housewives of New York City trailer dropping last week, sources came out of the woodwork to spill the tea on the drama that went down behind the scenes of the reality show once Bethenny Frankel quit the series the day filming started, leaving producers scrambling to think of a way to introduce Leah McSweeney to the cast.
According to PEOPLE, which is essentially the bible of pop culture, Bethenny recommended Leah to production when they were casting season 12.
Leah was originally supposed to be introduced as the Skinnygirl mogul's friend, as she was in need of a close ally since Carole Radziwill left the show. The source made it clear, Leah is not Bethenny's replacement, as she was never supposed to be on the show without her. The production insiders revealed:
“Bethenny really knows what makes great TV. It’s her superpower. She saw a lot of potential in Leah. The two have a lot in common; they’re both single moms and strong businesswomen. She would have been a strong ally to Bethenny, which she hasn’t had on the show since her friendship with [Carole Radziwill] fell apart.
"Leah was in talks to join the show before anyone knew that Bethenny was leaving. Bethenny was the one who made the introduction to casting. She is by no means is a ‘replacement’ for Bethenny like everyone is saying she is because she was never meant to be on the show without Bethenny.”
However, once Bethenny announced her shock departure from the franchise, the day the show was set to begin filming for the season, the producers were left scrambling to try and introduce Leah to the group, as the news of Bethenny quitting was so last minute. Leah had only met the women a few times through test filming, so she essentially knew none of the Housewives going into the show. The source continued:
“The plan was to bring Leah on with Bethenny and introduce her to the group as Bethenny’s friend. But with Bethenny out and Leah already cast, they were stuck and needed to find a reason for Leah to make sense on the show. The truth is, Leah really didn’t know anyone one coming into filming."
The producers ended up choosing Tinsley Mortimer to bring her onto the show, in the hopes of giving her a close friend on the cast and helping better connect her with the rest of the group, however, the plan apparently instead hurt Tinsley's standing in the group and isolated her even more. The insider shared:
“Some [of the women] were warmer to Leah than others. She’s made real friendships now but it’s not easy for her right away. Most of the anger went towards Tinsley, though. … Producers thought it would help connect her to the group but it only isolated her more. Leah is a great addition to the group, and really holds her own. But she didn’t know anyone before she started because Bethenny was supposed to be there with her, guiding her through.”
Obviously, the Housewives won't be able to break the fourth wall and tell us they were mad at Tinsley for introducing her into the group, so I'm sure Dorinda Medley and co. will find a creative excuse to be pissed off at Mugshot Mortimer to disguise their real opinions.
Thoughts? Sound off in the comments!
