Bravo has released a statement in response to the legal battle that former Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel is leading against the network.
08.08.2023 - 19:39 / variety.com
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer In the summer of strikes and labor action, calls for reality TV personalities to form a union are gaining steam. Bethenny Frankel unleashed a storm last month with her unvarnished criticism of Bravo and other unscripted-focused platforms for the way that unscripted stars are treated behind the scenes. Frankel was not shy about detailing what she described as commonplace abuses, including producers manipulating contestants for the cameras.
“We should just find out what reality shows are in production right now and say, ‘Just stop working. Say you’re not going to work unless they take down all the things you’ve done in the past and then we can negotiate for the future,’ “ Frankel told Variety last month. Shab Azma has watched the debate unfold for the past few weeks with great interest.
An experienced talent manager, Azma launched her own shingle, Arc Collective, in 2021 with a focus on representing nontraditional TV stars and media figures. Unscripted series and lifestyle destination channels have proven to be enormously lucrative arenas for skilled artisans and other talent to develop new businesses. But it can also be field ripe for exploitation of people with no leverage and no understanding of how TV and media works.
And that’s why Azma is speaking out about the need for the kind of basic union contract standards and safeguards that Frankel has loudly demanded. “For years, as representatives, we have seen the lack of protection for unscripted talent. There just isn’t any protection at all, period,” Azma tells Variety.
Bravo has released a statement in response to the legal battle that former Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel is leading against the network.
Ariana Madix is upset with Bethenny Frankel and feels she «should have known better» than to interview Rachel Leviss.Last week, Leviss sat down with Frankel for a three-part interview on The Real Housewives of New York City alums’ podcast, Just B with Bethenny Frankel. The 28-year-old reality star opened up about her time on Vanderpump Rules, and her «Scandoval» cheating drama with Tom Sandoval in her first interview since the explosive season 10 reunion aired.In early March, Madix and Sandoval announced the end of their relationship after being together since 2013 when she first joined Vanderpump Rules.
Lala Kent and Stassi Schroeder are speaking out against Bethenny Frankel over her recent interview with Rachel Leviss.Last week, Leviss sat down with Frankel for a three-part interview on The Real Housewives of New York City alums’ podcast, Just B with Bethenny Frankel. The 28-year-old reality star opened up about her time on Vanderpump Rules and Tom Sandoval cheating on Ariana Madix in her first interview since the explosive season 10 reunion aired.In early March, Madix and Sandoval announced the end of their relationship after being together since 2013 when she first joined Vanderpump Rules.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Vice TV has set the premiere date and released the trailer for “Dark Side of Comedy” Season 2, its “Dark Side” spinoff series that explores the behind-the-scenes stories of iconic comedians. Season 2 subjects include Robin Williams, Sam Kinison, Joan Rivers, Carlos Mencia, Phil Hartman, Tracy Morgan, the sitcom “Family Matters,” Ellen DeGeneres, Norm MacDonald and Gilda Radner.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Food Network fires up the second season of “Bobby’s Triple Threat” Tuesday, treating fans to the return of host Bobby Flay and the three “titan” chefs he’s once again relying on to do the cooking competition for him: Tiffany Derry, Michael Voltaggio and Brooke Williamson. The trio will face off against chef Michael Symon as a team, going for three head-to-head rounds full of surprise ingredients and evaluated by a mystery judge on the Season 2 premiere Tuesday at 9 p.m.
is still going strong, and Sophie Turner is the latest celebrity to join the TikTok-approved style trend. Over the weekend, the Games of Thrones star took to Instagram to show off her favorite pair of printed pajamas covered in illustrated sushi rolls. “I love my pajamas,” she captioned the cozy selfie.Brands and celebrities alike have been drawing on the abundance of the farmer's market for inspiration this summer, resulting in covetable pieces such as , , and .
Rachel Leviss wasn't paid a cent for opening up to Bethenny Frankel about her time on Vanderpump Rules and Tom Sandoval cheating on Ariana Madix in her first interview since the explosive season 10 reunion aired.A source tells ET, «Rachel wasn’t paid for her interview with Bethenny. Bethenny offered her an unedited long-form platform where she could speak freely. Rachel knew no other outlet would give her that freedom.»ET has learned Leviss' interview with Frankel is three parts.
SAG-AFTRA is rallying behind Bethenny Frankel.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery is getting into the spooky spirit early, setting the Halloween-themed programming slate for its cable networks, which includes the linear debut of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” as well as new and returning specials and film marathons across Food Network, Discovery Channel, TNT, TBS, TCM, Travel Channel and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim. The leader in Warner Bros.
Kandi Burruss has always been outspoken, and that’s why she’s not joining Bethenny Frankel's call for a strike by reality TV stars.Burruss, who is busy promoting her cover for magazine, recently spoke to ET's Brice Sander about the recent remarks made by Frankel about the possibility of reality stars unionizing and striking to demand better contracts and to stand with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.«I feel like things that I feel or have felt that needed to be addressed, I actually reached out to the network, and we addressed them,» star said of Bravo.Last week, anonymous reality stars alleged in a legal letter sent to NBCUniversal and Bravo that they were subjected to «grotesque and depraved mistreatment.» Attorneys Bryan Friedman and Mark Geragos say they represent «a significant number of individuals» who have been «mentally, physically, and financially victimized by NBC,» and could «ruin» the network «should they decide to speak out about their mistreatment.»In response, a spokesperson for NBCUniversal told, «NBCUniversal is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows. At the outset, we require our third-party production partners to have appropriate workplace policies and training in place.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Gordon Ramsay’s “MasterChef” has been renewed for a 14th season at Fox ahead of airing its milestone 250th episode Wednesday at 8 p.m. “I cannot believe 250 episodes have flown by since we started this journey in 2010,” Ramsay told Variety.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Nexstar reported its second-quarter 2023 earnings Tuesday, revealing the TV stations group giant had turned a profit of $153 million in Q2, while its CW broadcast network posted a loss of $78 million for the April-June quarter. For the CW, which was formally acquired by Nexstar in October 2022 from Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery, a year-over-year comparison can’t be drawn based on the lack of financial results disclosed publicly by its former parent companies.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer New York City filming permits were down 65.7% year over year in July amid the beginning of the actors strike, and well into the ongoing writers work stoppage. Per the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), 260 permits were issued to 125 projects from July 1-31. Comparatively, 757 permits were granted to 173 projects in July 2022.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer WGA East president Michael Winship will not be seeking re-election amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. “This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as WGAE revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September.
Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Bethenny Frankel has enlisted two of the most high-profile attorneys in Hollywood to help in her self-proclaimed fight to help protect reality stars from what she says is exploitation by networks and studios. Power players Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos are now working alongside Frankel to investigate the treatment of reality stars. Freedman tells me that he has heard from roughly 50 reality show cast members from various docuseries and competition shows who believe that they were “used and unfairly” treated by television networks and streamers.
Bethenny Frankel is going off on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, and asking them to “go away for a long time…and close the mouth” after what she’s calling “the biggest botch job ever.”
Bethenny Frankel stands by her opinion of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Comcast reported its second-quarter 2023 earnings Thursday, revealing theatrical revenue rose 65.9% year over year with the release of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” while Peacock added just 2 million more subscribers over the three month period. At the end of Q1, Comcast said the NBCUniversal streamer had reached 22 million U.S.
Harrison Ford’s stunt double in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, set himself ablaze on Monday (July 24) during a demonstration in Atlanta, Georgia.The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) union went on strike earlier this month, after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over streaming residuals and safeguards against AI technology.At the end of the rally, Massa took to the stage in a flame-covered jacket. In the video’s caption on Instagram, he wrote: “We are tired of being burned by the AMPTP.”A post shared by Elena Sanchez (@theelenasanchez)In a follow-up post, Massa added: “We wanted to make a statement and I think we did! It was great to see such a great turnout from our local stunt community, local leadership, and actors who showed up to support us.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa’s new HGTV docuseries “The Flipping El Moussas” has been renewed for a second season with an expanded 14-episode order. Per HGTV’s description for the second batch of “The Flipping El Moussas” episodes, “During the new season, the couple will face unexpected challenges both professionally and personally, including welcoming a new baby and contending with strong headwinds from the tumultuous southern California real estate market.