- Frankel was an original cast member on the series when it launched in 2008
- The Bravo series was rebooted with an all-new cast last year
- READ MORE: Inside RHONY star Rebecca Minkoff's dark family history in Scientology
Former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel called the show's reboot 'unwatchable' and a 'piece of trash' in a now-deleted TikTok video.
Frankel's bold statement comes amid declining ratings for the series, which recently hit its lowest viewing figures in the show's 16-year history, according to The Sun.
The Skinnygirl mogul, 54, started her rant by saying that she'd watched videos from RHONY fans who had called the reboot 'unwatchable'.
'You got like 200,000 viewers watching this piece of trash,' she said, before urging Bravo to bring back the old RHONY cast.
'So, go get the old girls and dust them off and mix them in. Humble pie is coming in hot,' she continued.
It comes after cast member Rebecca Minkoff received the wrath of RHONY fans by starting a pregnancy rumor that was ultimately revealed to be a prank.
Former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel called the show's reboot 'unwatchable' and a 'piece of trash' in a now-deleted TikTok video
The 42-year-old fashion designer started a rumor with the help of Erin Lichy that she was pregnant from a fling with another man - and that she had no idea who the father was.
The news stunned Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield, with Rebecca herself lending credence to the rumor by blowing up at Erin after Jenna Lyons told her about the rumor.
The episode ended revealing that Rebecca and Erin were clearly in cahoots and that the pregnancy was a prank, which fans - and executive producer and Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen - was clearly not a fan of.
Cohen kicked off Tuesday's episode of WWHL by addressing it immediately, insisting, 'I'm not a fan of a prank, I've got to be honest.'
His guests - RHONY star Sai De Silva and radio host Jeff Lewis - were also not impressed.
Sai said her, 'mouth was on the floor, I was completely in shock,' and Jeff said he, 'had no idea' it was a prank while watching it.
'I think it's a bad move. I think it's self-producing. I think that you lose trust in your audience. I think it's a bad move. I don't like pranks,' Jeff insisted.
Some fans online like @dodiedarrah thought the prank was messed up enough to call for the show to end.
Frankel's bold statement comes amid declining ratings for the series, which recently hit its lowest viewing figures in the show's 16-year history
'WTAF #RHONY sigh I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you! Seriously, a pregnancy prank, a pregnancy prank. Weird beyond weird. This prank will he the End of rhony,' the X user said.
@isbyeathreat agreed, adding, 'The way this manufactured pregnancy prank will go down as one of the worst storylines ever seen on housewives can not be understated. This show needs to be cancelled, the cast is beyond repair. What a horrible season, i'm speechless.'
@Bravobabe_ said, 'So we just watched an entire episode about a pregnancy prank? Seriously?'
@Justgreat79 added, 'Ok, I've been a reboot #RHONY apologist bc I feel it takes at least two seasons for a show to get on its legs but this episode has lost me. A pregnancy prank? Really? These women have NOTHING. If I was a producer I woulda picked up those dodge balls and started chucking!'
@BrvoUniversitea said, 'Wait. It was fake?! I'm done with you guys. Not even a fun prank. Just a waste of time.'
@meganmesmile added, 'We should've known this pregnancy rumor was going to be a prank, we've already caught editors leaving Brynn and Rebecca Minkoff self-producing in the previous episodes! This is just embarrassing. You know our OG #RHONY ladies are wondering what the hell this mess is!'
It comes after cast member Rebecca Minkoff received the wrath of RHONY fans by starting a pregnancy rumor that was ultimately revealed to be a prank
Viewers have taken to social media with threats to boycott the Bravo series
Despite the backlash, the fake pregnancy episode actually gave RHONY a bump in the ratings to 359,000 viewers - marking a season high.
It came just one week after RHONY drew in just 281,000 viewers, which was an all-time ratings low for the entire franchise.
RHONY first premiered in 2008 with Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Jill Zarin, Alex McCord and Bethenny Frankel.
Other memorable cast members to join the series over the years included Sonja Morgan, Carole Radziwill, Dorinda Medley, and Leah McSweeney.
The series went on hiatus after season 13 in 2021, before returning last year with an all-new cast for season 14.
Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and art curator Racquel Chevremont were added for season 15, which is currently airing on Bravo and streaming on Peacock.
