Yahoo Finance Bethenny Frankel on Leaving RHONY : 'It Became Not Who I Really Was Anymore'
Bethenny Frankel is looking back on her time as a cast member on The Real Housewives of New York City with perspective.
Frankel, 50, opened up about her time on the show — and the reason she departed for a second time back in 2019 — on Sunday's episode of Paris Hilton's This Is Paris podcast.
"I left because it became not who I really was anymore, and you can't do something out of fear," she told Hilton, 40, explaining that she "was literally there because of the money."
For Frankel (who was once the Hilton sisters' nanny!), the initial opportunity to star on the Bravo reality series came at a time when she was "broke" and "didn't have anything to lose."
After she left following the first three seasons, Frankel was offered "a number I couldn't refuse" by the network to come back for season 7. Her return, she said, was "on very different terms," and the entrepreneur and podcaster was able to work on other projects while starring on the show.
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Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Bethenny Frankel on The Real Housewives of New York City season 9
RELATED: Bethenny Frankel on If She Would Ever Return to RHONY: "It's All About the Benjamins"
But at the end of the day, being a cast member on RHONY was "just not what I wanted to be doing anymore," she admitted.
"I didn't want to be having those conversations; I didn't want to be arguing about things that really don't matter to me," Frankel explained to Hilton.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Bethenny Frankel
She added that she believes the show has "changed" since its 2008 inception: "I was there in the beginning when it was something that none of us really even knew what it was, and now it's something that … people have a preconceived notion about it, and they know what's going to happen."
"I mean, how many charity events can we go to? How many friends can we not support on vacations, and how much drama do we want to avoid and then go right into the drama on the vacation?" Frankel said. "So … the time had come [for me to leave]."
RELATED VIDEO: Bethenny Frankel Is Leaving The Real Housewives of New York City
Frankel previously spoke to PEOPLE about her RHONY departure back in September, "I was able to leave the show and have a palate cleanser and refresh. Nothing's better than a new chapter."
"I'll be transparent. I like the humorous outlet," she said of her time on the reality series. "I don't think what goes on in the back of the house in that cultural environment is particularly healthy or representative of who I am."
"It's an amazing platform and I used it for everything it was worth," Frankel continued. "You don't walk away from a paycheck like that unless you don't feel great about it."
And while she has no plans to return at the moment, "Never say never, but it would have to be a whole different show," she said. "Money talks and the bulls--- walks. It's all about the Benjamins, baby."
