The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Kim Zolciak made headlines earlier this week when it was reported that she filed for divorce from Kroy Biermann, her husband of 11 years. That's not the only bit of news that’s spilled out about the couple, as it’s also been revealed that they're experiencing financial difficulties. The two apparently owe the IRS a significant amount of cash due to unpaid taxes, and fans have since taken to social media to share their thoughts on the matter. Unsurprisingly, a fellow RH alum has also entered the chat to slam them, and it’s Bethenny Frankel.
Not unlike Kim Zolciak, Bethenny Frankel has no qualms about telling people what she thinks about a given topic. Frankel is known for his financial savviness, in addition to her over-the-top reality TV antics, and she had some brutally honest thoughts about Zolciak and her husband’s financial woes. She posted a video to TikTok in which she shared her thoughts on the couple’s lifestyle before diving into their fiscal responsibilities. In Frankel’s view, the two have also seemed like people who are “spending more than they have”:
He’s on a football salary, she’s on a Housewives salary, and they’re spending like the fucking planes going down. And the thing is, you can’t spend more than you make. And it’s the old Housewives model to get on the show, make no money, spend, spend, logo, logo, car, car, house, house, bankruptcy, foreclosure, because you can’t fucking keep up. You’re writing checks you can’t cash, and it’s gross.
The Zolciak-Beirmanns reportedly owe $1.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service as a result of unpaid taxes, penalties and interest that built up over several years. Per documents, $15,000 of that total is meant to go to the state of Georgia. Bethenny Frankel didn’t hold back while discussing the couple’s situation and stated that they should expect to be critiqued when “shit goes sideways.” She also said:
So these two [were like] ‘We’re so perfect, and we’re so in love, and we have all this money and we’re spending,’ and the diamonds and this and the filters and the kids and everything. … You invited us in when it was going good, and it looked like a fairy tale — or made us believe it was. Well, guess what? We’re coming out with you, too. So no one’s gonna f–king respect your privacy at this time, because there is no privacy at this time. I think I get particularly lit when people spend what they don’t have. … [I] fucking hate all show and no go. I hate fronting and stunting. Pay your fucking bills. That’s all I have to say. Pay your fucking bills.
Before she left Real Housewives of New York in 2019, Bethenny Frankel was known for giving pointed opinions on air, and she still occasionally calls out people these days. Earlier this year, Frankel posted a shady (and well-liked) comment on Instagram after Gwyneth Paltrow showed support for Kim Kardashian. She also fired shots at the Dubai spinoff’s stars for the outfits they wore during last fall’s reunion special. Frankel has made the news over other franchise alums’ legal issues, as she most notably knew a lot about Erika Jayne and her hurdles before most of us did.
As for Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann, they’ve yet to provide a formal statement on their money troubles or provide information on how they plan to handle the matter. I’d expect RH lovers to keep close tabs on the situation and keep up with the new season of Atlanta to see if the drop crops up there. Should more issues arise for Biermann and Zolciak, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bethenny Frankel also weighs in with some more thoughts.
New episodes of The Real Housewives of Atlanta hit Bravo on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET as part of the 2023 TV schedule. Fans can also stream past episodes of that show and other spinoffs using a Peacock subscription.
