It's the end of an era — again — for The Real Housewives of New York

Bethenny Frankel.
(Image credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

If you watch Bravo or enjoy low-calorie cocktails, you know who Bethenny Frankel is.

Beloved by fans for her snarky commentary, Frankel was one of the original Real Housewives of New York and its biggest star, and she used her time on the show to successfully advertise her brand, Skinnygirl, and score a spinoff, Bethenny Ever After. She left RHONY after Season 3 in 2010 and returned in 2015, but announced on Wednesday she's exiting the franchise once again, telling Variety she wants to "explore my next chapter. It's time to move on and focus on my daughter, my philanthropy, and my production partnership with Mark Burnett, producing and starring in shows which represent a shift in the conversation for women."

Frankel's first foray in reality television was on 2005's The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. In addition to starring on RHONY and Bethenny Ever After, Frankel briefly had her own talk show, Bethenny, and another Bravo spinoff, the real estate-themed Bethenny & Fredrik. She has also written several books and launched a charity, B Strong, which has assisted hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, Houston, and North Carolina.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.