Luann de Lesseps Claims Bethenny Frankel Terrified the RHONY Cast — and Reveals Sonja Hid in Ramona’s Room During Scary Island Episode!
More than 15 years after The Real Housewives of New York City’s unforgettable “Scary Island” episode aired, Luann de Lesseps is revisiting the chaos that erupted between Bethenny Frankel and Kelly Bensimon — and she isn’t mincing words.
“Bethenny had it in for [Kelly] and most women cannot handle the thrash of Bethenny,” Luann, 60, said in a June 9 interview with Bustle. “I can deal with her… But Kelly, the gorgeous and fabulous woman that she is, isn’t equipped for this kind of scenario.”
Though Luann wasn’t present for the iconic dinner blowup in St. John, she says she was receiving updates via text message as the night unfolded. At one point, Bethenny told Kelly to “go to sleep,” after accusing her of erratic behavior — a moment that quickly became a hallmark in Housewives history.
“I said, ‘Just take a deep breath, don’t let them get to you because they will,’” Luann recalled. She also revealed that Kelly had hesitations about joining the cast trip without backup. “Kelly didn’t want to go without me or [Jill Zarin], her backers, and I told her, ‘You will not survive without me,’ but I’m so glad she did because it wouldn’t be Scary Island if I was there. I would never let that go down.”
Despite the drama, Luann said she later advocated for Kelly’s return to the franchise and even contacted Andy Cohen about casting her in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy.
“Andy said, ‘You know what, I love that because Kelly’s done so much work on herself, got a real estate license, and rose from the ashes,’” Luann shared. Still, Kelly couldn’t fully escape the infamous episode. Luann noted that during RHUGT, Dorinda Medley confronted her about the incident.
“This story never really left her side, which always upset me because she’s not crazy. She’s not equipped for that kind of drama,” Luann added.
Meanwhile, castmate Sonja Morgan recalled how shaken she felt during the trip. “I had never seen Luann behave like that ever in my life,” Sonja said. “I was like, ‘Girls, she needs help right now. We don’t need to make this worse.’”
As for where Sonja spent the night after the blowup? “The rooms had sliding doors and I only had one umbrella and I needed two [to barricade myself],” she explained. “So I took mine and went over to Ramona’s room and we wedged our umbrellas together.”
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Nancy Zhāng is an Entertainment Blogger for All About The Tea. Nancy covers hot topics, recaps and celeb news. She loves to multi-task as a writer and a private chef. She received a B.S. in Mass Communications from LSU. Nancy’s married and the proud mom of 2 German Shepherds.
