Reality TV has lived in a nebulous place similar to streaming in that compensation has not been quite clear.Bethenny Frankel’s calls for unionization are beginning to pick up speed, with support coming fromNeNe Leakesand more recently,Lisa Rinna. Now a lawyer has released a letter informing NBCUniversal that its stars are fighting against mistreatment from the network. With pressures building, it may be time to start speculating what could happen if they all decide to go on strike. What could potentially happen if our favorite Housewives and other stars joined the picket lines?
Calls For Regulation and Unionization From ‘RHONY’s' Bethenny Frankel
Since the writer’s strike began in Hollywood, Bethenny Frankel has spoken out against networks taking advantage of their reality stars. She has called for unionization as well as more compensation in the form of residuals. Other housewives current and former have spoken in support of Bethenny’s calls for action, and it does make sense. Reality TV is similar to streaming in that it’s essentially the wild west; the networks have free reign over their stars and sometimes don’t necessarily pay them for it. Because of this, studios have naturally overstepped boundaries with no fear of repercussions, because there are no rules.Bethenny shared via social media, “I’ve alienated this industry & burned bridges with the entire network and streaming community in one fell swoop. This is not for the faint of heart but it’s for the greater good.” She is not the first to burn bridges with the network; NeNe Leakes sued Bravo and Andy Cohen last year over racial discrimination as well as creating a hostile work environment, but she eventually dropped the case with prejudice. This means that she can start the suit up again whenever she wishes to. And given the climate and calls for fair treatment, it may be the time to do that.
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Why Bethenny Frankel’s Calls For Action Matters
It’s less about money and more about human rights violations. According to the recent letter sent to NBCUniversal from the lawyers representing a group of not yet named reality stars, there have been plenty of those violations. The letter states, “While our investigation is still ongoing, we have reason to believe that cast members and crewmembers on NBC reality TV shows have been subjected to disturbing mistreatment by NBCUniversal and/or its employees, contractors, and third-party affiliates. This includes, but is not limited to:
These are some incredibly serious allegations, and certainly goes beyond wanting some residuals. Another network has been accused of similar things in the past few months. Discovery was called out in the docu-seriesShiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secretsfor similar mistreatment.Jill Duggar Dillardand her sisters were being sexually assaulted by their older brother Josh when he was a teenager. She shares in the docu-series that Discovery (TLC’s parent company) did not provide them with their own contracts upon reaching adulthood. They sent them to their father,Jim Bob Duggar, who had them sign with no knowledge of what they were signing, and consequently any money made from the show went directly to him. None of them received payment from the network. Given that her life was signed away,Jill even had to give birth on camera for a birth special, which is something she fought against doing. To add insult to injury, she had to beg the network to cover their medical bills, after being forced to film the birth of her child.
A Reality TV Strike Could Change A Lot For TV Viewers
With the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes going on currently, it would make sense for reality tv stars to take a stand. The letter crafted by the lawyers representing the unidentified stars has called for litigation. If talks between the two parties do not go well, there is a potential for a strike, at least for the stars under the NBCUniversal umbrella. If, for example, the Housewives all decided to strike, the effects would be felt months from now. Soon the WGA and SAG/AFTRA effects will become apparent; many of our favorite shows have ceased production, which immediately puts off the dates they’ll come back. The same could be said for the Real Housewives franchise. And if other networks reality stars decided to join the fight, TV could look a lot different this time next year. There has already been buzz that the crews working reality television arestruggling and becoming fed up with their situationsthanks to budget cuts. Let’s hope NBCUniversal decides to do the smart thing and open up negotiations. As greedy as they are now, they should consider the repercussions of their greed. They may wind up losing more money than they think they will. But what if NBCUniversal does the right thing? They could set a precedent and keep the drama rolling on screen. If they don’t, however, fans better be prepared to either take up new hobbies, or become sports fans.
