RHONY’s Bethenny Frankel And Jill Zarin Reunited And Cleared Up A Long-Standing Issue From The Show

Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin in 2008
(Image credit: Photo by Tana Lee Alves/WireImage))

The Real Housewives has grown into a behemoth franchise on Bravo and beyond, with multiple cities airing new seasons at any point. One of the most popular shows has always been New York City, which was recently rebooted with a new cast. But the OG’s have a special place in the hearts of fans, including Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin. Those two had a real friendship during the show, which we watched fall apart over the years. But RHONY’s Frankel and Zarin have reunited, and cleared up a long-standing issue from the show. Specifically related to the funeral services of Bobby Zarin.

Back in Season 10 or Real Housewives of New York City, a handful of the cast attended the funeral of Bobby Zarin. Jill had been off the show for years at that point, but her late husband had a special bond with Bethenny Frankel. There’s been chatter for years about whether or not Jill knew that they were filming, especially on Season 2 of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. Jill and Bethenny (who is always down to give her two cents about the Bravo-verse) reunited on the latter’s podcast ReWives, and clips are already going viral. One part of it is on Twitter, where Jill revealed she had no idea that filming was happening during Bobby’s funeral. What's more, she only found out after that scene made it into the trailers. You can listen for yourself below:

Is anyone else's mind blown? While Jill Zarin gets a lot of crap online and from other Housewives about being “thirsty” and wanting to get back on RHONY, it seems like she really had no idea that she was going to be featured in Season 10, especially during what must have been one of the most difficult days in her life. And Bethenny’s surprise is no doubt going to be echoed by the fandom who have been following this story for years.

As Jill put it, she didn’t sign any release forms or get a microphone for her appearance in Season 10 during Bobby’s funeral. Bethenny sounded horrified, seemingly because she was under the impression that Zarin consented for cameras to be there. As a reminder, you can check out a clip of that scene below:

As previously mentioned, this scene was one that has been discussed quite a bit online. And more recently, Ultimate Girls Trip Season 2 saw Dorinda Medley accuse Jill Zarin of purposefully filming during Bobby’s funeral in order to get back on TV. If Jill’s recollection is to be believed, that wasn't the truth at all. 

While Jill and Bethenny have been able to talk out their differences, it’s unclear if/when the same will happen between Zarin and famously on-pause Dorinda Medley. After RHONY Legacy got scrapped, a cast was assembled for the fifth season of RHUGT. But Jill isn’t included, so there might not be another opportunity for her to clear this story up. 

New episodes of RHONY air Sundays on Bravo.  Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

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Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.