Tag Archives: rights

Not content with merely forcing Bethenny Frankel to reveal her sexual history in court , Jason Hoppy’s attorney is trying a new tactic. He tried to catch her in a lie under oath — using a clip from The Real Housewives of New York City , of all things. Bethenny defended herself by pointing out that reality television is, well, super fake. Page Six reports that Bethenny Frankel was once again in court for her ongoing custody battle against her despised ex. At the May 13 hearing, Jason Hoppy’s attorney brought up something that she had said in an April episode of RHONY . “I kept in the middle of the night waking up and asking my friends, ‘Is [Dennis] really dead?’” Bethenny said on the episode. “I [was] going through denial,” she confessed on Bravo. Bethenny explained: “because I would imagine a sudden death from an overdose is extremely different than just knowing someone is going to die from cancer.” While testifying in court, Bethenny said that she did not know for a fact that Dennis Shields had died of an overdose. On the one hand, that could illustrate that Bethenny allegedly knew with certainty that her ex had died of an overdose, but refused to say so in court. On the other hand, people sometimes choose different words for reality television than they would in real life. “I wonder why he’s working late” becomes “he is CHEATING on her,” because you know that cameras are rolling. It’s would not be unprecedented in the reality television business for certain scenes to be aired out of order to make a more cohesive story. When Jason’s attorney brought up her exchange, Bethenny wanted to know what his point was. “What is it you want me to answer?” Bethenny asked. “About the show or about my life?” She was already making it clear that these are different, often separate things. Bethenny also pointed out that the show is heavily edited because it exists to entertain, not to merely document. If Jason decides to challenge that, she could call in no shortage of celebrity witnesses who have made the exact same statement. In court, Bethenny elaborated upon how shows like RHONY operate. “[It’s] a show you shoot for seven days to get 40 minutes,” Bethenny explained. As a result, she reasoned, “I can never specifically say that’s what happened.” Cameras can cut away at any moment and audio can be mixed in. “Even if you have a transcript,” Bethenny shares. “It might not be what I said.” Jason’s attorney continued to quiz Bethenny about the show, causing her to reply with exasperation. “I don’t know,” Bethenny quipped. “You are more of a fan than I am.” He continued to press the issue, suggesting that the court could spend its time watching reality television. “I would have to show the witness the episode of the show,” the attorney suggested. “We can have a viewing party.” Thankfully, that sort of theatrical nonsense is up to the judge to decide. Judge Katz gave Jason’s attorney’s idea  big ol’ thumbs down. “I do think it is bizarre [to ask about the show],” Katz stated in court. “We are taking this reality television show that was meant for entertainment value,” Katz continued. “And supplanting testimony.” We cannot speak to Katz’s full judicial record, but that is some sound reasoning. So many people seem to think that reality television is some sort of candid camera, akin to surveillance footage. It is anything but. It’s entertainment. View Slideshow: Bethenny Frankel: Quitting The Real Housewives of New York City Over Dennis Shields’ Death?

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Bethenny Frankel Testifies: The Real Housewives Isn’t REAL, Duh!