Bethenny Frankel has officially joined Kevin O’Leary on CNBC’s Money Court, and she chatted exclusively with Screen Rant about the series and more. On the show, the dynamic duo settle disputes with final and legally binding verdicts. After over a decade on The Real Housewives of New York, the owner of one of the best-selling liquor brands, Skinny Girl, is no stranger to resolving dilemmas, whether they’re big or small. From deciding whether to franchise, to negotiating work-life balance, to risking unveiling family recipes and beyond, small business owners are flocking to Bethenny and Kevin, so the icons can clear their biggest business roadblocks.
In 2021, Bethenny starred in HBO’s The Big Shot. While the show didn’t gain enough traction to get the green light for season 2, it reminded fans of Bethenny’s big boss energy, endless wit, and big heart. The competition show gave Bethenny a platform to showcase her business expertise, along with a cohort of candidates vying to be her new CEO. She ended up hiring many cast mates who didn’t make it all the way, choosing to place them in other roles. She wasn’t able to hug them and send them away. Money Court affirms all the same talents, but in a framework more akin to Kevin’s Shark Tank.
Bethenny’s also been busy promoting a new iteration of her Just B podcast, ReWives, where she revisits iconic episodes from the franchise that launched her career. Andy Cohen, whom Bethenny called out for rewarding bad behavior, said that he was shocked that she was revisiting Housewives, after trashing it in recent years. However, he told her privately that he was glad she was embracing it. Andy and Bethenny hashed out their “public feud” last night on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where Bethenny said, “I’m entitled to not want to be there but still talk about it. How could I be on for more than a decade and not have reflections to share.” While it wasn’t that deep, Bethenny gave Jeff Lewis a run for his money, after he asked what would make her Housewives recap different. She remarked that she chose to leave RHONY twice, unlike many recap hosts.
Screen Rant: You showcase your business expertise on HBO’s The Big Shot. How does Money Court let you do this in a different way?
Bethenny Frankel: Well, this is completely different. First of all, when this show was presented to me, I’d never heard of anything like that, semi-finding arbitration for business. I later realized there would be massive businesses, up to 100 million dollar businesses, so the stakes are high, and I just thought it was such a great concept.
You’re coming in, you’re in a dispute. Think about how long it takes to go through the court process, how expensive that is, and so Kevin and I, we deliberate over your business dispute that you can’t get past, or can’t really function effectively as a business person if you can’t get past this hurdle, and we debate each other, and we elevate each other’s game, and then come out with a verdict that we tell them is binding. That’s what’s really fascinating. They have to go with it. So, that’s what makes the stakes so high and so interesting.
Screen Rant: Why did production decide to bring you on for season 2, and how do you change the dynamic?
Bethenny Frankel: I would say that it’s a completely different show. I think they just loved the name. You know, because it’s a good name, Money Court, that they had that name, and also brand equity. But It just needed to be a different salad. I think it was a little more corporate before, and CNBC wanted to make a little bit of a change, and have it have a little bit more sizzle and feel more modern, talking about business, but still be entertaining. And also, Kevin was sort of at the helm, and these other women were there helping to advise him that were actual lawyers. Whereas I’ve been through the trenches of being an entrepreneur, which is what most of these people are, and so we are both equals in this process, and we hold each other to task. You know, we take each other to task and hold each other accountable, and it just became a very different show. So while it has the same name, if you watch the first season, it’s really a new show.
Screen Rant: Did you feel hesitant about replacing Katie Phang and Ada Pozo?
Bethenny Frankel: I don’t think of it as replacing them. I don’t know them. I didn’t really watch it that much. To be perfectly honest about the process, what happened was they approached me and told me they had this show and, you know, would I be interested, then we talked, and they explained it to me. They didn’t say the name. Or they might have said the name, but I hadn’t heard of the show because I didn’t know that it was a created show. So, when they said the concept, I said, that’s an amazing concept. I just really thought it was a new show. I didn’t know that it was going to keep the same name. I just felt like this is a great concept, and it hadn’t really gotten the traction that I think it deserved, and so I think it’s a different show, but it’s great that CNBC already tested it with their audience.
Screen Rant: So you already touched on this, but what makes people come to Money Court, rather than settling their disputes elsewhere?
Bethenny Frankel: I mean, I think it’s they don’t get the opportunity, you know, hiring lawyers and going through that process, it’s very expensive, and very frustrating and scary. You don’t know which way you’re going, and people who are especially starting out in business can’t afford a lawsuit. They also can’t afford the time, you know, some of these people, right or wrong, this is a side hustle. So, if you have a side hustle, and then you add that, you know, a legal case, it could bog me down, right?
Screen Rant: Have you made any decisions so far that you regret?
Bethenny Frankel: No, honestly speaking because, you know, that’s the difference too, we’re checking each other. In the first season, Kevin just kind of just made the decision, but you really do need to bounce things with somebody else. And that’s one thing about judges, they’re kind of just laying down the hammer. We are talking to each other. There were things that I thought were amazing I did, and he made them so much better, and vice versa. Each case, we had totally different perspectives, like having different things to add is really amazing.
Screen Rant: You and Kevin get personal in the show’s previews. How do these conversations affect how you handle the cases?
Bethenny Frankel: I mean, I think we both respect each other’s business knowledge and truthfully, we learn that in there. We did not each know that. We both knew that we’re, you know, smart, and we’re both successful, but I think we both thought there’d be some sort of a power struggle or something, and it ended up being the exact opposite. It wasn’t even for the show, because we were sitting there, and we were listening to something, and once we got our rhythm, I thought, wow, that’s a great idea, Kevin. We just really ended up valuing the other person’s knowledge and opinion, and we gained a great respect for each other.
Screen Rant: Will you be rehashing Money Court disputes on your podcast?
Bethenny Frankel: It’s funny because we may do a companion podcast. That’s something that I’ve talked to iHeart about that they would love. So, I told CNBC, which is a great partner, and I told them we should do this as a companion podcast, because then you couldn’t really talk about it, and then you can talk to the entrepreneurs about if it worked or not, and the ultimate person who will win is the viewer. The viewer has been through it all, and if you haven’t had your own business, and never had a business, if you are a mom at home who has a business idea, or if you’re a billionaire mogul, there’s something for everyone, that’s what’s really interesting.
Screen Rant: What does Bryn think of the show?
Bethenny Frankel: Yeah, she doesn’t understand it that much, but it’s funny, she’ll come up with her own ideas, and I’ll be wondering, how do you know that? She’s always full of good ideas; just hearing me, she always has some sort of solution, some new good idea. And that was because we’ve been talking about allowance, and I thought it could be a good idea to, you know, pitch us, just walk in and see what you have to say. And she did a pretty good job, and Kevin was really sweet with her. I was actually really, really pleased. I didn’t know if he’d be too tough with her, he was really sweet, but he’s tough on me!
Screen Rant: Turning to Housewives and your new podcast, ReWives, what would be your Mount Rushmore from the new wave of housewives, like RHOP, RHOSLC, the RHOM reboot, and RHODubai?
Bethenny Frankel: I have not watched. I literally have no idea. I would be making it up. I don’t know anything.
Screen Rant: That’s ok. I’m going to pivot to ask, are you going to cover any of those newer shows on ReWives, or are you really focused on the older seasons that you know well?
Bethenny Frankel: Well, I guess I would if we run out of stuff. The podcast is successful, and we’re booking incredible guests. So, I’ll have to get through the stuff we do know, and then get to the more current ones. But the truth is the older ones are more iconic and more authentic. It’s before glam, and before having a preconceived notion, and people studying the show before they go on, because they’re going to do it bigger than the person before. So I am sort of celebrating what it really was, and its payday, and download it. Now, there’s so many Housewives cities, and so many people, and obviously, they’re trying to be entertaining. They know what they think they should do. So I think it’s more interesting back when people were just characters, just living their lives being covered.
Screen Rant: Do you have any interest in covering The Real Housewives of New York reboot?
Bethenny Frankel: Um, maybe if something interesting happens. You know, if something really, really interesting happened. I’m covering everything that I think is like, oh my god, amazing. It’s funny because, like, for example, we covered that communion episode with Joe. He’s outrageous. It doesn’t matter if I do five in a row that are Jersey or Beverly Hills. It’s just what I think is super compelling, and I’m shocked because I didn’t watch Jersey religiously, and I’m finding that I think that Jersey has a lot of really iconic episodes.
Money Court airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on CNBC.
