Bethenny Frankel wants Raquel Leviss to keep “playing hardball” with Bravo.
The “Real Housewives of New York City” alum told “Entertainment Tonight” Thursday that the “Vanderpump Rules” star should continue her negotiations for Season 11 and “get paid” as much as possible post-Scandoval.
“The girl was a punching bag for everybody on every talk show in the entertainment industry,” Frankel, 52, explained.
“So you get beaten up? Like Erika Jayne did, get paid,” she continued. “You’re gonna put me in a ring with [Mike] Tyson, I’m gonna get paid.”
The Skinnygirl founder — who does not consider Leviss having an affair with Tom Sandoval behind her friend Ariana Madix’s back to be a “big deal” — also praised the former pageant queen, 28, for missing the cast’s Lake Tahoe trip last week.
“She should not be shooting,” Frankel said. “She should be negotiating a contract that says … ‘I got dragged through the streets, and I was abused mentally.'”
However, the “Big Shot with Bethenny” star acknowledged that someone struggling with their mental health should “absolutely not” pursue a reality TV career.
Notably, Leviss checked into a treatment center in Arizona for intensive therapy in April. She left the facility earlier this month.
Frankel predicts that the drug of “relevance” and “money” will be “too strong” for Leviss to stay away from the cameras and prove she is “really not the terrible person that they all think.”
She added, “That’s a producer’s talent. When you’ve been beaten down and everyone hates you, [they say], ‘You gotta go back next season. You can’t end on this note.'”
Pvnew exclusively reported earlier this month that Leviss was negotiating with Bravo for “as much money as possible.”
Follow Pvnew’s coverage of ‘Scandoval‘
- Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss, Ariana Madix drama, explained
- How Ariana Madix found out about Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss’ affair
- Ariana Madix rips ‘subhuman’ Raquel, ‘rat’ Sandoval in ‘Pump Rules’ reunion trailer
The insider alleged that the reality star is “genuinely concerned for her well-being” upon her possible return.
While Leviss remained in Arizona as filming recommenced, her dog Graham — who is “back home” with her ex-fiancé James Kennedy and renamed Hippie — took part in the Tahoe trip.
Leviss and Kennedy, 31, adopted their canine during their five-year romance, which ended in December 2021.
The following year, Leviss secretly moved on with Sandoval, 41. Their dalliance made headlines in March when Madix, 38, found a sexually explicit video on her then-boyfriend’s phone and subsequently dumped him.
Leviss and Sandoval ended their relationship in May, while Madix has moved on with personal trainer Daniel Wai.
