Dorinda Medley, Ramona Singer, and Sonja Morgan stopped by The Jenny McCarthy Show on SiriusXM’s Inner Circle to preview some hot takes on this season’s Real Housewives Of New York. The ladies dished on everything, from their opinions about Jason Hoppy’s mental state to why they believe Bethenny Frankel is good for the show.
The RHONY trio also offered a glimpse into what it’s like to brawl in front of the cameras (Sonja confesses she can’t stand reunions – they make her sweaty!) and how their friendships continue to forge ahead, despite the drama. Ramona admits that she’d never want Jill Zarin back on RHONY, despite what she calls Jill’s “desperate” attempt to return. And as an added cherry on top, Ramona and Sonja coughed up some inside info on what went down behind the scenes on Scary Island with Kelly Bensimon back in the day!
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Calling Bethenny “an equal opportunity b*tch,” Sonja says the polarizing star makes good TV, but has a softer side.
“I know Bethenny very well and I understand where she’s coming from. I know some of the behind the scenes that she’s dealing with, and I went through a similar situation – like her divorce,” explains Sonja, who has forgiven Bethenny for the hell she put her through last year over launching Tipsy Girl. “I know her background, I know her M.O. and why she lashes out like that.”
Alluding in Jenny’s interview to an ENORMOUS fight set to happen between Ramona and Bethenny this season, Sonja says that she saw both sides of the issue because she knows both women so well – flaws and all.
Ramona counters that “sometimes with Bethenny, you have to walk on eggshells. You just don’t know how she’s going to react.” Dorinda agrees, but offers, “When [Bethenny’s] good, she’s great. She’s funny, she’s kind. People don’t see that side of her. She is very giving…like if you say to her ‘I love your hat,’ she’s like ‘Take it!'”
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On Bethenny’s controversial return to RHONY, Sonja bottom lines it: She’s good for ratings. She adds, “I was very happy she was coming back because the show needed her.” Thus, when she heard about Bethenny’s possible return, Sonja thought, “Bring the bitch on!” Dorinda agrees. “She’s great TV,” she says, admitting she still watches scenes with Bethenny and thinks, “This is great TV, this sh*t’s good!”
Asked if they look upon new cast members like “new food” to be devoured each year, the ladies say no.
“We want to embrace women, we want to empower women,” claims Ramona. Dorinda adds that the women usually have one or two connections to the group already, as in Tinsley Mortimer’s case – although Dorinda personally didn’t know her before filming. She recalls that upon meeting Tinsley for the first time, “She told me about her mug shot, and I was like okay, did you get a frame for that?”
Someone Ramona does not want to see back on the show – ever – is Jill, who she firmly denies is returning to the franchise, though she does make a guest appearance this year. “She’s desperate to be on the show,” snarks Ramona, who adds that the cold war between Jill and Bethenny is still as frosty as ever.
Divulging that Jill – and tequila – had a lot to do with Kelly’s breakdown on Scary Island, Ramona claims the entire situation was “ten times worse” than what cameras showed. She reveals that Jill was calling Kelly nonstop on the trip, “playing with her head,” asking questions about what the ladies were doing to her and egging her on to confront them. Ramona also recounts her disbelief that Jill showed up on the trip later, unannounced – an audacious move she attributes to Jill wanting to see the “gorgeous villa” and of course stir up drama.
Moving on to their thoughts on Bethenny’s ex-husband, Jason, the ladies agree that he’s changed. Asked if they believe reports that he’s an abusive stalker, Dorinda says, “Well clearly – he got arrested.” Is it real, though, or just media speculation that he’s actually harassing Bethenny? asks Jenny. “Very real,” posits Sonja. Dorinda adds, “It is very hard to get someone arrested or get a restraining order, so something happened.”
All of the ladies agree that Bethenny and Jason’s child, Brynn, is the main point of concern in this catastrophic mess, expressing hopes that both parents can come to a place where they can peacefully coparent for her sake. Ramona says, “Somehow they’ve got to work it out, they’ve got a child in common. They’ve got to be mature.”
“Yeah, but there’s got to be sanity,” counters Dorinda. “He’s not well. The guy’s not well.”
RELATED: Bethenny Frankel Discusses Why RHONY Is So Successful
As for the ongoing tensions within the group, Sonja says it still makes her nervous – especially at reunions. “I’m starting to sweat right now,” jokes Sonja, thinking about the emotional toll reunions take on her each year. “I love these girls, then I have to f–king beat them up at these reunions!”
“They bring everything back up, point by point by point,” explains Dorinda. “So not only do we film it, then we have to watch it, then we have to blog about it, and then we have to relive it again in the reunion.” Dorinda says that mending their relationships over and over again after a vicious season is just part of being a housewife, though.
Staying in constant communication with one another helps, which none of them did after last year wrapped – something that drove a lasting wedge between cast mates. This year, Dorinda advises the group to handle things differently. She argues that her approach this season will be more proactive: “As soon as something comes from eight months ago that they edited for twenty hours, I am gonna call up the person and say ‘let me just tell you exactly what happened.'”
“Yeah, let’s do it!” agrees Sonja, who is hoping for a more peaceful season ahead, as are we all.
TELL US – IS BETHENNY GOOD FOR THE SHOW? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE JILL BACK? WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE SEASON AHEAD?
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