Bethenny Frankel was offered a $7,250 contract for her first season on “The Real Housewives of New York” in 2008.
“When I signed on to the ‘Housewives,’ the contract said $7,250 for the entire season,” she revealed on “The Tamron Hall Show.”
But, “I wasn’t looking at the money … you can’t always look at the money, you have to look at the big picture, the other opportunities, you have to look at the whole board, not just the pieces — and the money was just the pieces,” Frankel said.
After joining the cast, she wound up becoming a fan favorite and getting a raise — as well as eventually launching her Skinnygirl empire.
“I ended up being the highest-paid ‘Housewife’ when I left because I had leverage and I left [in 2010], and the ratings were affected and they wanted me to come back,” she said.
“And when I did ultimately leave this last time [in 2019], people thought I was leaving because I wasn’t getting more money.” But, Frankel said, “I was leaving because I was staying because of the money” — meaning she was only staying for the salary, which meant it was time to move on.