‘RHONY’: Sonja Morgan Reveals Why She’s ‘Happy’ Bethenny Quit & How The Show’s Now ‘Totally Different’

Katelyn Rose, Photographer

Sonja Morgan is ‘happy’ that Bethenny Frankel left ‘Real Housewives of New York City’ but not necessarily for the reason you may think in a surprising interview EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife.

It was a fabulous night for Sonja Morgan, 56, as she celebrated the debut of her eponymous collection Sonja Morgan New York with Century 21 at their downtown New York City location on Dec. 10 alongside many of her RHONY costars. “I started the collection to inspire young people that I think have a great future to get where they want to go,” she told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY while pals like Ramona Singer, 63, and designer Marc Bouwer showered her with compliments over her new line. “Whether its to get that job or just to dress the part. Even if its just to get into the car and put your hands up like we did at Studio 54 many years ago.”

Sonja also chatted about RHONY in a very past, present and future kind of way. She said the vibe is “totally different” without Bethenny Frankel, 49, being apart of the upcoming 12th season but understands why she left the franchise. “I’m happy for her,” she revealed. “She made a choice for her daughter (Bryn Hoppy, 9), for her boyfriend (Paul Bernon, 41), I don’t want to speak for her. But she made a choice and I’m happy that she’s done that.”

The Skinnygirl founder was a full-time cast member during the shows first three seasons before she departed in season four. She later returned full-time again in season seven and stayed that way for the next four years. Bethenny announced she was leaving RHONY again in August 2019, saying in part, “It’s time to move on.”

Sonja, who has been with the RHONY since midway through its third season in 2010, has a lot of love for her costars who she gushed over during our exclusive. “The thing that shocked me about the show is the camaraderie and how much I love my girls,” she said after being asked about what her overall experience has been like on RHONY.

She continued, “I mean we can fight like cats and dogs but it’s really like family. Like sisters. There’s like a safety where you can go there because you know you love each other. I’m really surprised at how tight I am with the girls and how grateful I am with those relationships.”