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SAG-AFTRA Teams Up with Bethenny Frankel: Reality TV Deserves Unions, Too! on August 10, 2023 at 10:49 pm The Hollywood Gossip

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The current strikes by both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are enormous and monumentally historic.

This has not happened since Ronald Reagan was SAG president. (Yes, really)

But there’s another group in the entertainment industry who are subject to mistreatment and exploitation, all to enrich TV and streaming behemoths.

RHONY alum Bethenny Frankel has been sounding the alarm. And this week, ahead of (rumored) resumed negotiations, SAG-AFTRA noted that they’re with her all the way.

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On TikTok, Bethenny Frankel discussed the rampant exploitation within the reality TV industry. (TikTok)

On Thursday, August 10, Deadline reported that SAG-AFTRA is working “toward the protection of the reality performers” on reality TV.

This massive guild which works to ensure workers’ rights already covers the hosts on most of reality TV.

SAG-AFTRA stated that they are making an effort to end “the exploitative practices that have developed in this area.”

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Patricia Clarkson joins SAG-AFTRA members on the picket line outside of Warner Bros. Discovery on August 10, 2023 in New York. The Emmy Awards have been postponed by almost four months, organizers said Thursday, as crippling strikes by Hollywood’s actors and writers drag on with no resolution in sight. (Getty)

Additionally, the colossal guild hopes “to engage in a new path to union coverage.”

Reality TV boomed after the last massive strike in 2008.

And this strike, of both writers and actors, is the largest in generations. It could enact necessary, historic changes in an industry that currently robs the actual workers to line the pockets of corporate executives and shareholders.

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Over the years, Bethenny Frankel has earned a lot of praise for her large-scale charitable work. (Instagram)

Enough is enough

Reality TV has been a loophole that certain unscrupulous entertainment giants have hoped to exploit. (Just like streaming)

“We are tired of studios and production companies trying to circumvent the union,” SAG-AFTRA noted, “in order to exploit the talent that they rely upon to make their product.” Aren’t we all.

Thursday’s statement from SAG-AFTRA shared that it now “has engaged in discussions with Bryan Freedman at the Freedman + Taitelman, LLP law firm who has been retained by Bethenny Frankel.”

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Bethenny Frankel is mad that Luann de Lesseps is treating her like crap on an episode of The Real Housewives of New York, which aired in 2019. (Bravo)

These were discussions “around the subject of treatment of reality performers.”

The massive guilt noted that “SAG-AFTRA is the union that represents reality performers.” Thus far, there are limits to what that means.

“Depending on the structure of the production and the performers involved,” SAG-AFTRA continued, “we can cover these performers under our Network Code Agreement.”

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The Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel radiates BDE on a daily basis and especially in this moment from the Season 11 trailer. (Bravo)

It’s a team-up

“We stand ready to assist Bethenny Frankel, Bryan Freedman, and Mark Geragos along with reality performers and our members,” SAG-AFTRA affirmed.

They stand together “in the fight and are tired of studios and production companies trying to circumvent the Union in order to exploit the talent that they rely upon to make their product.”

SAG-AFTRA added: “We encourage any reality performers and/or members to reach out to SAG-AFTRA’s Entertainment Contracts Department.”

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Bethenny Frankel attends the Dress for Success Be Bold Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on April 18, 2018 in New York City. (Getty)

This is “so that we may work together toward the protection of the reality performers.”

The aim is “ending the exploitative practices that have developed in this area.”

“And,” SAG-AFTRA continued, “to engage in a new path to union coverage.”

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Bethenny looks very serious here. (Bravo)

What does this have to do with Bethenny?

The reason that SAG-AFTRA is name-dropping Bethenny Frankel is because her recent TikTok video laid out a number of ways in which networks exploit reality TV performers.

She focused upon how her first season netted her only a few thousand dollars, even though people still watch these episodes.

Which of course means that Bravo and NBCUniversal likely still profit from these episodes, even now. Is that how things should work?

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Bethenny Frankel shared this photo on her Instagram page. What a sweater, right?!? (Instagram)

In addition to a lawsuit over alleged mistreatment at Bravo, there are simply a lot of solid points about reality TV performers.

From unpaid main cast members (like on 90 Day Fiance) to minors who film against their will (Little People, Big World) to entire families robbed by the one collecting the paycheck (Counting On), this industry is rife with injustice.

Some reality stars get rich off of their stardom. Many — most — might collect a few thousand dollars after months of humiliation. Their work creates a fortune. They just aren’t the ones who receive it.

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SAG-AFTRA Teams Up with Bethenny Frankel: Reality TV Deserves Unions, Too! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

The current strikes by both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are enormous and monumentally historic. This has not happened since Ronald …
SAG-AFTRA Teams Up with Bethenny Frankel: Reality TV Deserves Unions, Too! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip. 

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This ‘Too Small’ Christmas Movie Turned an $18M Gamble Into a Half‑Billion Classic

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Studios almost left this Christmas staple on the cutting‑room floor. Executives initially saw it as a “small” seasonal comedy with limited box‑office upside, and internal budget fights kept the project hovering in limbo around an $18 million price tag.

The fear was simple: why spend real money on a kid‑driven holiday film that would vanish from theaters by January?

That cautious logic aged terribly. Once released, the movie exploded past expectations, pulling in roughly $475–$500 million worldwide and camping at the top of the box office for weeks.

That’s a return of more than 25 times its production budget, putting it among the most profitable holiday releases in modern studio history.

What some decision‑makers viewed as disposable seasonal content quietly became a financial engine that still prints money through re‑runs, streaming, and merchandising every December.

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The story behind the numbers is part of why fans feel so attached to it. This was not a four‑quadrant superhero bet with guaranteed franchise upside; it was a character‑driven family comedy built on specific jokes, one child star, and a very particular vision of Christmas chaos. The fact that it nearly got shelved—and then turned into a half‑billion global phenomenon—makes every rewatch feel like a win against studio risk‑aversion.

When you press play each year, you are not just revisiting nostalgia; you are revisiting the rare moment when a “small” movie out‑performed the system that almost killed it.

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Anne Hathaway Just Turned Her Instagram Bio Into a 2026 Release Calendar

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Anne Hathaway has quietly confirmed that 2026 is going to be her year, and she did it in the most Anne way possible: with a soft-launch in her Instagram bio.

Instead of a traditional studio announcement, the Oscar-winning actor updated her profile text with a simple list of titles and dates, effectively revealing a four-film run that reads like a mini festival of her work spread across the year.

For fans, the bio now doubles as a watchlist, mapping out exactly when they will see her next on the big screen.

According to the update, Hathaway will kick off 2026 with “Mother Mary,” slated for an April release. The film, backed by A24, casts her as a fictional pop star in a psychological, music‑driven drama that has already started building buzz through early trailer drops and stills. Positioned in the spring, it sets the tone for a year where Hathaway leans hard into challenging, high‑concept material while still anchoring major studio projects.

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Just weeks later, she pivots from pop icon to fashion-world nostalgia with “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” now dated for May 1, 2026. The sequel brings her back as Andy Sachs, returning to the universe that helped define her mid‑2000s stardom and remains a staple in meme culture and rewatches. For millennials who grew up quoting the original, the firm release date signals that the long-rumored follow‑up is no longer hypothetical—it’s locked in, with Hathaway front and center.

The cast: Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Meryl Streep
The devil wears Prada

Summer belongs to “The Odyssey,” marked for July 17, 2026. Billed as an ambitious, big‑screen reimagining of the classic tale, the project reunites Hathaway with large‑scale, auteur‑driven filmmaking and promises mythic stakes, prestige casting, and blockbuster spectacle. Its prime July slot suggests confidence from the studio and positions Hathaway as a key face of the 2026 summer season, not just a supporting player in someone else’s tentpole.

Hathaway at the 2007 Deauville American Film Festival

Finally, Hathaway’s bio points to “Verity,” arriving October 2, 2026, rounding out the year with a dark, suspense‑driven turn. Adapted from a hit thriller novel, the film casts her in a psychologically intense role that leans into obsession, secrets, and unreliable narratives—terrain that plays to her ability to toggle between vulnerability and menace in a single scene. Coming at the start of awards season, “Verity” also gives her a potential late‑year prestige vehicle after a run of crowd‑pleasing releases.

What makes this reveal so striking is the casualness of it. In one short line, Hathaway essentially published a studio slate: four movies, four distinct genres, and a timeline that keeps her on screens from spring through fall. For Hollywood, it underlines her staying power as a true marquee name; for fans, it’s an invitation to mark their calendars and prepare for a year where Anne Hathaway isn’t just part of the conversation—she is the conversation.

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Colombia’s ‘Doll’ Arrest: Police Say a 23-Year-Old Orchestrated Hits, Including Her Ex’s Murder

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Authorities in Colombia say Karen Julieth Ojeda Rodríguez, 23, known as “La Muñeca” (“The Doll”), was arrested in early December on allegations she coordinated contract killings for the Los de la M gang and helped set up the murder of her ex-boyfriend in July. Police reported seizing a 9mm pistol and a revolver during the operation and are testing the weapons against recent homicides in Barrancabermeja, a city battered by drug-war killings this year.

What police allege

Investigators describe Ojeda Rodríguez as a youthful face with a senior role: not a trigger-puller, but a coordinator who relayed orders to sicarios, managed target selection, and handled logistics for a network tied to drug trafficking and extortion in Santander. They say she rose quickly within Los de la M, operating in hot spots like Barrancabermeja and Piedecuesta, where rivalries over territory and revenue have fueled violence.

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The July killing at the center

Prosecutors allege she lured her ex-boyfriend, Deyvy Jesús García Palomino (“Orejas”), to a rural meeting on July 23 under the guise of settling a money dispute. When he arrived, two shooters on a motorcycle attacked at close range; he later died at the hospital. Investigators point to recovered messages to argue the meetup was a setup arranged in advance, and they claim she and an accomplice received roughly 4 million pesos—about $1,000—for the hit.

The December takedown

Police announced her capture following a targeted early-December sweep, framing it as a blow to Los de la M’s homicide pipeline.

Alongside Ojeda Rodríguez, officers detained an alleged accomplice known as “Gorda Sicaria” who purportedly passed orders to gunmen, and a man identified as “Leopoldo.”

Forensic tests on the seized weapons aim to link the guns to crime scenes amid a year marked by more than a hundred killings in Barrancabermeja, according to media cited by authorities.

A clear timeline

Why the case resonates

The contrast between the “Doll” moniker and the accusations of top-level murder coordination has fueled global attention, while the intimate ex-partner setup adds a personal dimension to an already combustible gang narrative. Authorities caution that ballistic and judicial proceedings are ongoing, but they characterize the arrests as a significant hit to a group blamed for a wave of killings in the region.

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