Jill vs. Bethenny: ‘Housewives’ feud heats up

FOX411 EXCLUSIVE: Jill vs. Bethenny: ‘Housewives’ feud heats up.

10/09/2009

This season, the “Real Housewives of New York” are battling it out and losing friendships in the process of filming the reality TV show. Close friends Jill Zarin and Bethenny Frankel are no longer speaking to each other and Fox411 spoke exclusively to both ladies on Wednesday and they each took a turn filling us in on the feud between them and their side of the story.

First, we ran into Frankel at the Southstreet Seaport launch of Pepperidge Farm’s Deli flats.

She admitted to FOX411 that there was indeed a rift in her long friendship with Jill, but downplayed just how severely its affected her. “I’m so busy I don’t have time for arguments or girl trouble. I have to work on my relationship and career.”

Frankel was noticeably absent from Jill Zarin’s private dinner party at Saks Fifth Avenue last week and we hear it’s because Zarin didn’t even extend an invitation. And while every other Housewife was in attendance, Frankel said she had a good excuse - “I haven’t been at a lot of events lately. I have been on a book tour and not been in town one weekend. The next morning I had to be up at 6 a.m. to do the morning show.”

Still, despite her newest feud, the entrepreneur with 2 more books coming out next year says she did mend fences with long-time rival Kelly Bensimmon. “Kelly and I are getting along. We were recently at a fashion show and she asked me to come sit next to her. She came to the Skinny Girl Launch this summer. There’s only so far you can go with massive arguments!”

Meanwhile, Frankel has kept tight-lipped about her new spin-off show, originally titled “Skinny in the City” due to a Bravo gag order, but did tell FOX411 that it will follow her life.

“Bravo announced it. We haven’t started shooting. I imagine they are going to shoot the truth which is me and my work and my life and I hope its entertaining - it’s the goal of the show!”

But when we caught up with Zarin, she didn’t hesitate to claim a little credit for Frankel’s success at the Sony Vaio launch party at Guastavinos with husband Bobby Zarin by her side.

“Bethenny told me she got the spin-off show in May and she asked me to keep it a secret, which I did. No one was happier for her than me. I felt like I had been planting a seed and the flower grew. I wasn’t surprised when it came out.”

Still, she did wish her former BFF all the best.

“Don’t get me jealous now! Everyday is a different day. There’s a lot of gossip about Bethenny and me in the press. All I can say is that I hope she gets everything that she wants.”