It's been more than three months since the Writers Guild of America (or WGA) has gone on strike, halting production schedules across much of film and television. Major studio executives are feeling the heat – the strike has also added the Screen Actors Guild (or SAG) and Disney animation teams to its cause.
Some studios, like Fox, have already buckled up for the long haul and booked a large number of reality TV shows for the upcoming year. Why? Because reality TV is an easy fill-in for scripted content while studios wait out the strike.
But if Bethenny Frankel has her way, studios may have to pull another rabbit out of a hat to deliver fresh content during the strike. Bravo and NBC Universal, which are owned by Comcast (CMCSA) -), may be in hot water.
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The reality TV boom of the late 2000s
During a 99-day WGA strike in 2007, reality television exploded in popularity -- shows like 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' and 'The Real Housewives' franchise became leaders of an unscripted trend that allowed studios to create fresh content without relying on writers. Even after the strike ended, reality TV had staked its claim in the public consciousness.
Billionaire and “Bravo darling” Bethenny Frankel made a name for herself on 'The Real Housewives of New York', and has since used her fame to launch successful businesses and philanthropic projects. Now, she may have found herself at the forefront of a movement that could throw a wrench in major studios' plans to wait out the strike. It could also make watching TV very boring for the foreseeable future.
Bethenny Frankel and 'the reality TV reckoning'
On her podcast 'Just B', Frankel lays out exactly what led to something she calls "the reality TV reckoning". Back in July, Frankel was remarking on the WGA strike, telling her 1.4 million TikTok followers that she thought her fellow reality stars could take a page out of the strike book, too. According to the former 'Real Housewives' star, that's when she started to hear from other reality stars.
"I didn't know anyone would come out of the woodwork. I was speaking for myself and saying my content has been exploited. And it made me then think of all the other people who I had heard about[...] Those people were exploited and the episodes still air and they get no compensation," Frankel says.
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Frankel provides examples in the episode of contestants on 'The Bachelor' or the famous 'Supernanny.' She also points out that reality TV stars often struggle to find work outside of the sector, which makes them vulnerable to poor treatment from studios.
Reality TV star makes demands, including abolishing the 'Bethenny clause'
"I went online and said these are 10 terms that I think would be fair," Frankel remarks about a TikTok video in which she proposes terms. "I was just saying 'these are terms based on compensation for exploitation'. It wasn't about illegal practices. It wasn't about abuse. It was just about this group of people risking their jobs and their reputations, [so] here are our terms."
@bethennyfrankel This is a union. I’ve defined fair & reasonable terms & consider those making $0 on the bachelor to a housewife making millions. This is a 1st pass & how I’d negotiate, w/ my institutional knowledge & wisdom in this industry w/ over a decade on 8 tv, w/ 10 books, 5 podcasts, multiple businesses & what was the fastest growing spirits business in history. I know a contract. Looking into traditional TV residuals is like looking inside “a beautiful mind.” Content used later with no profit sharing & l exploitation of hard working talent is as archaic as calling empowered independent women “housewives,” a term setting back women 100 years then using them for drama. This is the REALITY RECKONING aka THE REALITY REVOLUTION. The is the new BETHENNY CLAUSE. Reality TV has existed for decades & sustained entertainment during the last strike & exploded. This isn’t for people like me, who have thrived & succeeded and clawed their way to the top despite the odds. This is for the next generation. These are broad stroke terms subject to modification. This fight is just getting started. We’re rogue & nimble & not entangled & unwieldy. The intention here is to affect change, get things done and make history. I’ve listed some names who have contacted me & want to get involved. People not on this list are Vanderpump rules talent & the Kardashians, ironically the most powerful entities in entertainment right now, with the most leverage. They should fight for others who paved the way & for those after them. Shows like Summer House and others in production should stand down. Viewers should not watch this content. This paves the way for nurses and teachers, essential workers, production members & glam teams that will be inspired to create a model of their own reckoning. Change takes courage. I’ve alienated this industry & burned bridges with the entire network and streaming community in one fell swoop. This is not for the faint of heart but it’s for the greater good. This is correct. We will be sending these terms by email with the subject line: “Reality Reckoning” starting emails with: imwithbethenny Who’s with me?
♬ original sound - Bethenny Frankel
At this point, she says, it was time to get some things down in writing. "I reached out to one lawyer because I wanted someone to [...] formalize[...] what I had voiced[..] on Tik Tok and Instagram. I wanted there to be a reason that a network would respond."
One of her terms involves abolishing a contract clause written especially for Frankel. 'The Bethenny clause' gives Bravo TV a piece of any businesses that the stars start during or after their time on the show. Frankel, during the network's early aughts, took a lower salary under the specific condition that the network would have no part in any of her future business earnings. And has since made multi-millions of dollars as an entrepreneur.
Frankel's legal representatives on Aug. 4 delivered a letter to Bravo and NBC Universal, alleging that reality TV personalities have been subjected to “grotesque and depraved mistreatment.” Representatives also said that several other reality stars are on board, alongside talent representatives and members of the production crews.
"The very people that make a percentage off of the production companies and the talent in this multi-billion dollar [industry] recommended[...] these lawyers because they know that there needs to be an end to this exploitation. So they also agreed that there should be some sort of union."
When asked for comment, NBCUniversal told Deadline that it is “committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows.”
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