Jill Zarin Reveals Why She Thinks Bethenny Frankel Really Quit ‘RHONY’

Jill Zarin appeared on an episode of Jeff Lewis’ SiriusXM podcast Jeff Lewis Live last week. During the appearance, she addressed Bethenny Frankel’s recent decision to quit The Real Housewives of New York City after starring on the series in a full-time role for eight seasons.

As she spoke to the former Flipping Out star, Zarin said she believed that Frankel left her position on the series because she simply can’t balance her new career in Hollywood with her role on the Big Apple-based reality series.

“I think she was done. She certainly started a lot of new projects,” Zarin told Lewis, according to a report shared by Page Six.

Months before leaving The Real Housewives of New York City, Frankel signed a deal with MGM Television and producer Mark Burnett that required her to work both behind the scenes and in front of the camera on a number of upcoming projects. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Frankel mentioned that she would be producing and starring in shows that “represent a shift in the conversation for women” in her exit statement to Variety.

While Frankel didn’t mention where she would be spending the majority of her time as she worked on her new projects, Zarin pointed out that she will be required to be on the West Coast a lot.

Zarin went on to reveal that when it came to Frankel’s time on The Real Housewives of New York City, her relationships with the other women weren’t genuine.

“[Frankel] is the first to say that she doesn’t have a relationship with the girls other than filming, that it’s a job. I think she’s got enough freedom and choices now to move on and, you know, I always feel like Bethenny always knows when the party’s over,” Zarin explained. “I think she feels it’s on the downswing, I’m guessing, and she never wants to be the last man standing.”

Frankel was one of the original cast members of The Real Housewives of New York City when the show began airing in March 2008, as was Zarin. However, after appearing on the show’s third season, Frankel chose to walk away from her role to focus on other projects, including her short-lived FOX talk show, Bethenny, and her Bravo TV spinoff series, Bethenny Ever After. Then, ahead of Season 7, Frankel confirmed she was returning to The Real Housewives of New York City.

The Real Housewives of New York City Season 12 began filming in August and will air on Bravo TV sometime next year.