Pure Drama
Kelly reflects on the shocking conclusion of the NYC reunion.
Who starts the fights? I was asked to do this show for a reason. You may love me, you may hate me, or you may think I look like your cousin, but I've got you hooked. OOPS! I am a completely different housewife compared to these women, and that's OK. Honestly, I was always shocked at how they talk to each other; you can see it on my expression (maybe I should start getting Botox.) Reflecting back, I wish I had seen the first season, so I would have been prepared. I was totally unprepared for every situation, and you can see when I say with an expression of disbelief, "What?" But, I chose to take a great leap of faith and do something completely out of the box. Isn't it odd how I never comment on them? Doesn't it come across as strange that I don't ever say anything bad in any of my interviews? Yes, I drive a Dodge Ram, yes I am accomplished, and yes, I have been working since I was 16 years old. I am so proud of what I have done and where I come from. New York is far from Rockford, Illinois. I was raised by amazing parents and exposed to the best education in the country. If I learned one thing from my past it is: If it's good, it's good. There is no discussion or price point. That's what makes me fundamentally different, and that's why they get so angry.
Yes, Jill Zarin is my favorite housewife because she tries. She always tries to do her best, and I respect that. She did know that I had texted her at 9:45 on the night of the Halloween party. Watch the episode where I talk to her at Simon and Alex's house the night after the party. Gotcha, Jill!
I also sent each one of them a handwritten thank you note for making the effort to come to the Halloween party.
Bethenny is a reality TV show professional. This is her third season on a reality TV show. She knows what makes great reality TV, and she knows what will generate press for her. She fought with me, and was in magazines every week. Smart? Very. I asked Bethenny to go to a photography show, and she attacked me at a charity event because she cannot grasp that I have no idea who her photographer boyfriend is. What happened from there on is pure drama. She called me a name, and I will not stoop to her level. No one deserves to be spoken to like that. And I shouldn't have spoken to her at the Brass Monkey like I did. All of the toxic gossip really got to me, coupled with a harassing ex, trying to organize my children, and dealing with the illness of a friend, my driver, who has been with me since I was 23 and was incredibly ill due to cancer. It was touch and go with him every day this past fall. He passed before Thanksgiving, and was an unbelievable man who loved my children and me like we were his own. Bethenny continues to use the drama the show has created to sell her book, weeks after the show has closed. I can only wish her well.
As for LuAnn, do I turn my back on her at parties? Maybe, I wasn't paying attention. I really hate going to parties because I am usually by myself and I feel incredibly insecure being at a party alone. I run around the party as fast as I can, and leave as fast as I can. After ten years of being married, but living like a single mom and rearing my children alone, I honestly cannot wait to leave a party. I feel obligated to go. So, LuAnn, sometimes it's not about you.
As for charity events, I have been hosting and creating new kinds of charity events for the last ten years. I saw a lot of money go into the charity parties and not a lot go to the charities themselves. That is why I started writing the coffee table books. I knew that I could learn a lot about social history and also be able to give to the charities that mean so much to me. Yes, I got something out of it. I learned so much about America, The Hamptons, and the bikini. This charity, like every other episode, is an infomercial for all of these women, and it is frankly boring, because they don't teach you how they did it, they just show off. I hope next season the housewives will empower the viewer with how to rather than 'look at me.'
The show has been an amazing adventure, and I was exactly what the producers wanted. They wanted me to ignite the other women, and they got ignited. Oof.
I am proud to have been part of the Housewives brand, and I hope that next season we can build memories and friendships, not destroy them. I do go through life wearing rose-colored glasses. It is beautiful, filled with fun, and it is incredibly exciting and evocative. I am eager to show you every part of me. You may be surprised that what you see isn't what you get. I am incredibly insecure and unbelievably guarded. I am so flawed in so many ways, and I work tirelessly every day to overcome them. Maybe I have been hurt way too many times. I've had friends who were with me for all the wrong reasons. I had a lot more friends when I was married than I do today, if you know what I mean. Hopefully I will make a new friend out of one of the Housewives. But to me, a friend is someone who exhibits loyalty, is trustworthy, and who will be there for the good, bad, and the ugly. If any one of these women can take this challenge and demonstrate these qualities, I commend them. Game on. I hope the best woman wins. It will be interesting to see who she is.
