The dust has settled from last week’s explosive Real Housewives of New York City reunion, but the drama certainly has not.
E! News exclusively caught up with Bethenny Frankel and Jules Wainstein at Stanton Social’s 10+1 Anniversary celebration, where the Bravo stars got especially candid on all things Luann de Lesseps‘ upcoming nuptials and what’s to come for their personal lives.
As for The Countess’ engagement to Tom D’Agostino Jr., which sparked an all-out war between Luann and Bethenny when she presented her with photos of Tom kissing another woman, Frankel maintains she’s taking the high road.
“I think Luann’s marriage is Luann’s business,” the SkinnyGirl founder told us, adding, “I did what I thought was right. I would do it again for another friend—not necessarily Luann because I’ve realized that she doesn’t want to know. But I wish her all the luck in her marriage.”
Of Luann’s controversial courtship, Jules is sticking by her close friend’s side regardless of infidelity accusations. “If she invites me [to the wedding] of course I’ll go,” Wainstein dished. “We have a great relationship. If she’s happy, I’m happy. I think only she knows what her relationship is. I can’t imagine she would take such a big step if she didn’t feel true to herself. I’m trusting that she knows best. If she’s in love, I support that.
As of early August, E! News could confirm Dorinda Medley was the only current RHONY co-star to receive an invitation to her New Year’s Eve wedding.
Jules witnessed a particularly tumultuous first season of her own, and amid a publicly contentious divorce from husband Michael Wainstein, will not be returning as a housewife for the series’ ninth season. She explained her decision, admitting, “Yeah, it’s really important. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. I could never film a reality TV show and go through this at the same time. I think every mom would agree with me.”
Moving forward, Wainstein told us her future holds “a lot of unknowns, but I’m focusing on being a mom and [cleansing drink product] Modern Alkeme. I’m going to do a lot of appearances. You’ll see me at Whole Foods a lot.”
A five-season RHONY veteran, Bethenny, 45, offered some advice to Wainstein’s replacement: “I think the key to [being] a good housewife is to be compelling, to be interesting, to be open and to be able to carry 23 episodes last year. You have to have a lot going on.”
And Frankel is looking forward to a fresh start of her own after closing the chapter on her four-year-long divorce battle with ex Jason Hoppy.
“It feels really different,” she explained. “I had a tortuous experience and I finally realized I could help other women be strong and independent. Life feels much more balanced, much freer. Really, it was torment, so it feels much much better. It could not feel worse. It could only get better.”
So with quite a bit of experience in the relationship department, we couldn’t help but ask Bethenny and Jules’ opinions about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s shocking split.
“Any breakup is sad, especially when there are kids involved. I don’t give unsolicited advice and no one sucks at relationships more than I do, so I’m sure Brad and Angelina will be much better off than I was,” Frankel offered, while Wainstein recommended they, “Keep your mouth shut. When you have young kids, privacy is really important.”
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