Bethenny Frankel, one of the original stars of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York and later a successful entrepreneur, is returning to her roots and calling on reality television stars to unionize.
In a video on Instagram and TikTok, Frankel said reality TV personalities should earn a minimum of $5,000 per episode with a 10% raise each season and the option to walk away. If a show is re-aired by the network or an unaffiliated streaming service, the stars should receive 10% of their last negotiated talent fee each year it airs. She also called for retroactive compensation for stars whose shows have been off the air for years, noting that networks continue to profit off of their intellectual property in other ways.
“Content used later with no profit sharing” and “exploitation of hard working talent is as archaic as calling empowered independent women ‘housewives,’” Frankel wrote in an Instagram caption.
With screenwriters and actors striking, unscripted television has unique leverage as a medium that requires neither. Reality TV production in Los Angeles, as measured by filming days, was down 23% from a year earlier in April through June. Shoot days for scripted drama and comedy shows were down about 64% and 73% from a year earlier, respectively, according to film permit office FilmLA.
“Reality TV has generated millions of dollars and entertained people globally, and my name and likeness are used for years to come for free on episodes where I was paid peanuts for my work,” Frankel said.
