Bethenny Frankel Was Reportedly Behind The Casting Of ‘RHONY’ Newbie Leah McSweeney

Leah McSweeney reportedly got her job on The Real Housewives of New York City after Bethenny Frankel — who quit the series after McSweeney was added to the cast — reportedly recommended her to producers.

According to a report from People on February 12, multiple sources have confirmed Frankel’s involvement with the casting. One source said the Skinnygirl mogul introduced McSweeney to the show and recommended she be cast for Season 12.

“Bethenny really knows what makes great TV. It’s her superpower. She saw a lot of potential in Leah,” an insider added.

They went on to reveal that McSweeney and Frankel have a lot of things in common, including being single moms and strong owners of their own businesses.

“She would have been a strong ally to Bethenny,” the source said.

While Frankel was initially planning to get to know McSweeney better during filming on Season 12, she ultimately announced she would be leaving the show in August of last year and shortly thereafter, McSweeney was spotted filming with their co-star, Tinsley Mortimer, who is expected to leave the show and move to Chicago before Season 13.

Although McSweeney was first reported to be joining The Real Housewives of New York City cast as a replacement for Frankel, that allegedly was never the case, as they were initially expected to be on Season 12 together.

On Twitter earlier this month, Frankel appeared to hint at her connection to McSweeney by telling her fans that she had paid it forward and put “others into the mix” for her audience.

When Frankel suddenly left her role on The Real Housewives of New York City last August, just as filming on Season 12 was starting, producers were reportedly left scrambling to find a way to introduce McSweeney to the cast and ultimately chose to bring her on board as a friend of Mortimer.

“The plan was to bring Leah on with Bethenny and introduce her to the group as Bethenny’s friend. But with Bethenny out and Leah already cast, they were stuck and needed to find a reason for Leah to make sense on the show,” the show source said. “The truth is, Leah really didn’t know anyone one [sic] coming into filming.”

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Frankel left The Real Housewives of New York City in order to focus her attention on other projects, including a couple of shows she is currently working on, which are expected to be announced soon.