Bethenny Frankel’s Lawyers Send Another Threatening Letter to Bravo and NBCU Admonishing The “Culture of Fear and Silence”

Sure, Bravo bombshells like Vanderpump Rules provide plenty of on-screen drama. But the off-screen plot of the reality TV reckoning just keeps on thickening.

According to Deadline, Bryan Freedman and the lawyers behind Bethenny Frankel‘s crusade to unionize reality TV personalities sent an email to NBCUniversal’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel Kimberley D. Harris yesterday (Aug. 20).

The email to the network, which was obtained by Deadline, states that Freedman, Mark Geragos and their team of lawyers “not only confirmed the veracity of [their] initial allegations but have also discovered that the breadth and scope of [NBCU’s] wrongdoing is greater than previously believed.”

“We are left with the inescapable conclusion that NBC and its production partners are grappling with systemic rot for which sunlight is the first necessary remedial measure,” he continued. “To date, that has been impossible owing to the draconian terms of NBC’s contracts with its cast and crew, which contain onerous confidentiality provisions coupled with ruinous penalties for breach. To ensure silence, NBC has been wielding these contractual terms like a sword.”

Freedman and his team cited their Aug. 14 letter, in which they “demanded that NBCUniversal and its affiliates publicly release unscripted cast and crew from nondisclosure agreements that violate California law,” deeming NDAs “an unlawful employment practice.” They also name-dropped Evolution Media, the production company behind Vanderpump Rules and the Real Housewives franchise.

“This culture of fear and silence is no doubt responsible, in part, for the disproportionate rate of suicide among reality tv participants,” they noted.

The legal team concluded their email with the following:

“Accordingly, we demand that NBCUniversal inform all of its unscripted employees and
contractors and those affiliated with its third-party production partners, including
Evolution Media, that they are all hereby released from any contractual provisions that
interfere with their ability to freely disclose unlawful conduct in the workplace.”

Decider has reached out to NBCUniversal for comment, but did not hear back by time of publication.

NBCU released a statement to Decider earlier this month explaining that they are “committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows.”

They shared at the time, “At the outset, we require our third-party production partners to have appropriate workplace policies and training in place.  If complaints are brought to our attention, we work with our production partners to ensure that timely, appropriate action is or has been taken, including investigations, medical and/or psychological support, and other remedial action that may be warranted such as personnel changes.”

Since Frankel’s initial pleas for protection, the former Real Housewives of New York City star recruited Vanderpump Rules alum Rachel Leviss (formerly known as Raquel) to break her silence against the network. She called herself a “punching bag” and claimed that she was “portrayed as the ultimate villain” following her affair with co-star Tom Sandoval.

“My mistakes that I’ve made on camera live on forever,” she told Frankel on her Rewives iHeartPodcast, describing the phenomenon as “terrifying.”