Real Housewives of New York launched in 2008, and Bethenny Frankel and Luann de Lesseps were there from the jump. And it was definitely a tale of two housewives. Bethenny lived in a shoe-box-sized apartment and was hustling to sell her cookie brand.
Meanwhile, Luann was a Countess, married at the time to Count Alexandre de Lesseps. These two ladies often butted heads, with Luann scolding Bethenny for introducing her to a driver as “Luann.” Oh, the horror! She often spoke down to Bethenny since she didn’t have the same level of wealth. And Bethenny didn’t appreciate Luann’s etiquette lessons.
So, let’s dive into why Luann and Bethenny feuded for years – both during and after RHONY.
Bethenny Frankel and Luann de Lesseps ruined Christmas
During Season 8, Dorinda Medley hosted the New York ladies at her home, Blue Stone Manor, in the Berkshires. And it was a mess. Bethenny and Luann fought almost continuously, sucking all the holiday spirit out of the gathering. Bethenny must have arrived with her tinsel in a tangle.
Luann shaded Bethenny for copying her chic bob, and Bethenny dragged Luann for stating that she created Skinnygirl, Bethenny’s cocktail line. Obviously, Luann had no involvement. “No, it was my idea that I told you about,” Bethenny stated, “and you then told everybody else that you thought of [it].” Luann replied, “We were together.”
Then the argument moved on to Luann and her love life. B. accused her of sleeping with married men. “You are a hypocrite. You f*ck everyone and pretend that you don’t. I don’t care if you’re the biggest whore in Macy’s window, but you pretend that you’re appropriate,” Bethenny told her. “You are a slut and a liar and a hypocrite and a snake.” Merry Christmas!
Poor Dorinda “made it nice” for these ladies, and Luann and Bethenny would have made Santa Claus weep. And this was just the beginning of their issues during Season 8.
When Bethenny Frankel told Luann de Lesseps that her fiancé Tom D’Agostino cheated
One of Bethenny’s friends snapped a photo of Luann’s fiancé, Tom D’Agostino, making out with another woman at The Regency and sent it to her. First, Bethenny shared the news with Ramona Singer and Carole Radziwill.
Eventually, she told Luann, who called Tom and confronted him. In the end, Luann married Tom on New Year’s Eve in 2016. But Bethenny wasn’t invited to the nuptials.
“It’s hard to invite people that tried to do you harm,” Luann told People. “Her handling of the situation – and I go over this at the reunion – was terrible.” But Bethenny may have had the last laugh because Luann and Tom decided to split less than a year into their marriage.
Luann accused Bethenny of sleeping with a married man
During the Season 8 RHONY reunion, Luann accused Bethenny of sleeping with a man who was married. Bethenny was dating Dennis Shields at the time, who was separated but still legally married. “The real hypocrite in this room is Bethenny,” Luann said. Bethenny denied the allegations, and told Luann, “You were born a liar, and you will die a liar.”
When Luann de Lesseps confronted Bethenny Frankel for leaving her cabaret show
According to People, when Luann suffered a relapse in her battle with alcohol, Bethenny staged an intervention and supported her. So, Bethenny was confused when Luann was angry that she left Luann’s cabaret show early. After all, Bethenny went home to take care of her child, Bryn Hoppy. It was Halloween night, and Bethenny claimed that she waited until 11:30 p.m. for Luann to appear. Meanwhile, Luann made a wisecrack about Bethenny going home to watch her daughter sleep.
“While I’m glad you came, I’m sorry that you missed me because I would have loved for you to see me,” Luann stated. And everyone was confused as to whether that qualified as an actual apology.
Bethenny Frankel’s Miami Meltdown
In 2019, the RHONY cast members hit up Miami during Season 11. And the result was one of the wildest moments in Real Housewives history. During dinner, Bethenny confronted Luann about not checking in on her when her boyfriend, Dennis, passed away.
She also slammed Luann for leaving rehab early, when Bethenny had arranged for her treatment. Luann responded that she needed to get back to work. “Life is not a cabaret. Life is actually not a cabaret!” Bethenny yelled.
At the time, Dorinda and Ramona sided with Bethenny because they were tired of Luann’s entitled behavior. The scene ended with Bethenny hysterically crying and breaking down. This season was Bethenny’s swan song, and she ditched RHONY for good this time. But her feud with Luann continued.
Luann de Lesseps bashed Bethenny Frankel’s podcast
Luann was a guest on the podcast Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino, and she made the most of her time by trashing Bethenny. Luann was fired up because B. had a new Housewives rewatch podcast called ReWives.
“Right, and if she sh*ts on the show, that means she’s gonna sh*t on us on her little podcast about the Housewives,” Luann stated. “It’s pretty sad and pathetic that she has to resort to Housewives because of all of her failed pivots,” she added.
When Luann de Lesseps criticized Bethenny Frankel’s “reality reckoning”
According to Page Six, Bethenny’s “reality reckoning” movement sought to secure better deals and treatment for reality stars. During her show, A Very Countess Christmas, Luann dissed her former co-star. “You know, listen, why bite the hand that feeds you?” she remarked. “Why bite Andy [Cohen]? Why bite NBC?” Why must this feud ruin the holidays year after year?
Did Bethenny fake her friendly reunion with Luann?
Well, the Hamptons was the scene of what seemed like a friendly reunion between Bethenny, her daughter Bryn, and Luann. The trio crossed paths at a party, and Bethenny shared the reunion on social media. However, one member of the group had some doubts about the authenticity of the moment.
While Luann was “really happy” to see Bethenny at first, her warm and fuzzy feelings have faded. “After watching Bethenny’s video and still being blocked by her on social media,” Luann told US Weekly, “I realize she just used her daughter to get to me.” She added that there “wasn’t a genuine reconnection.”
So, I guess the long-running feud between Bethenny and Luann will roll on. I don’t see how these two can ever be friendly after all the anger and hurt feelings that have festered over the years.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT LUANN DE LESSEPS AND BETHENNY FRANKEL’S FEUD? WILL THEY EVER BE FRIENDLY AGAIN?
