Dorinda Medley has a message for fans hoping to see Bethenny Frankel on Bravo’s forthcoming “RHONY” spinoff.
“No one is convincing Bethenny, not even me,” Medley, 57, admitted during an exclusive chat with Page Six at BravoCon 2022.
“Bethenny is a strong woman. Bethenny is a rock,” she elaborated of her good pal. “That’s a badass businesswoman. She makes her decisions and stands by them.”
Frankel, 51, claimed in April that she was approached about being part of the “Real Housewives of New York City: Legacy” crew, but chose not to pursue the opportunity at the time.
“When asked, I say, ‘There’s a number, but I don’t think you can afford it,’” she said on her “Just B with Bethenny” podcast, teasing that she could be persuaded by the right salary.
“From a business standpoint, [it’s] probably smarter for them to just keep mixing together the ingredients that they already have on the shelf: the people that’ll do it for so cheap because they’ll do it for next to nothing for the relevance and the jolt,” Frankel continued.
“Housewives” honcho Andy Cohen revealed the next phases of “RHONY” in March, telling Variety that a reboot — featuring all-new and diverse women — was in the works as well as a “Legacy” project.
Cohen, 54, said that the dual show approach “takes into account everything that our passionate audience has really been telling us over the last year” — which saw “RHONY” ratings drop and the cancellation of the Season 13 reunion.
The new “RHONY” cast — including Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Dana Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Lizzy Savetsky, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield — was announced during a “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” taping on Sunday night at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Cohen told Page Six at BravoCon that the “RHONY” reboot was taking priority over “Legacy,” which has yet to finalize its casting. He did mention on the press line, however, that Frankel “does not want to” reclaim her apple.
The Skinnygirl CEO quickly became a favorite of viewers when the original iteration of “RHONY” premiered in 2008.
She remained a full-time cast member for a consecutive three seasons before taking a break to pursue a spinoff show, more business opportunities and a now-defunct daytime talk show.
Frankel eventually returned to “RHONY” in 2015 for Season 7 and ultimately departed again — for good this time — after 2019’s Season 11. Medley entered the fray the same year Frankel came back and filmed alongside the latter for the entirety of her second stretch.
Medley was infamously “put on pause” by Cohen after Season 12.
She made a triumphant — albeit temporary — return to the “Real Housewives” universe when she hosted OGs of the franchise at her Massachusetts estate, Bluestone Manor, for Season 2 of Peacock’s “Ultimate Girls Trip.”
At BravoCon, Medley was met with loud cheers from fans who’ve missed seeing her on TV since “RHUGT” concluded in July. Attendees would frequently chant “Make it nice!” — her catchphrase — whenever she appeared on stage or in public spaces at the convention.
At one point during the three-day event held at Manhattan’s Javits Center, Medley pressed Cohen himself about her future on the network.
“When are you going to take Dorinda Medley off pause and press play?” she questioned during an “Ask Andy” panel.
“Wow, not since Jill Zarin confronted me about why she was fired have I ever been so publicly flogged by a former ‘Housewife,” he said, while also assuring her, “Dorinda, your time is coming.”