Luann Teased ‘RHONY’ Season 12 Will Be “Amazing” After Bethenny’s Exit

The Real Housewives of New York City is apparently doing just fine without Bethenny Frankel. On the Monday, Oct. 28 episode of Jenny McCarthy’s SiriusXM show, Luann de Lesseps said RHONY Season 12 "is amazing" and the show "is better than ever." The "Feelin' Jovani" singer also told McCarthy she believes the rest “of the cast is relieved in a way” now that Bethenny is no longer a part of the show. She continued, “It also leaves breathing room for other women to shine and show their personalities, because a lot was Bethenny coming in and kind of stealing the show.”

Considering how up and down her relationship with Bethenny has been, Luann's feelings about the Season 12 lineup are not shocking. Sure, Bethenny was one of the people who was there when Luann went back to rehab in 2018, but she is also the person who, just months later, called Luann "a sicko" because she seemingly left rehab early for her cabaret show. Luann and Bethenny's dynamic is a complicated one that is dotted with moments like the "Life is not a cabaret" fight, the "Please don't let it be about Tom" revelation, the Berkshires battle about Skinnygirl and hairdos, and so on. But as Luann said on the aforementioned episode of McCarthy's SiriusXM show, she "will kind of miss her" because she enjoyed the "fun" and the "challenge" of being her costar.

On Aug. 21, Variety reported Bethenny had exited the show for the second time. She said in the statement provided to Variety, “I have decided to leave the ‘Housewives’ franchise to explore my next chapter. It’s time to move on and focus on my daughter, my philanthropy and my production partnership with Mark Burnett, producing and starring in shows which represent a shift in the conversation for women.” As Bethenny revealed to Variety at the 2019 Emmys, she is working on "three or four different shows," and a majority of her current projects are "female-centric."

After Bethenny announced she would be stepping away from RHONY, her former costars shared their bittersweet goodbyes with the internet. Among the Instagram farewells was Lu's photo with Bethenny and Jennifer Lawrence. Luann's caption reads, "It’s been a great run with so many great memories. Wishing @bethennyfrankel nothing but the best."

It is sad to see Bethenny leave the show again, but if there is any cast that will not have any trouble delivering iconic RHONY moments without her, it's this one.