From "The Real Housewives of New York City" to a self-made entrepreneur ... when Bethenny Frankel steps out, you know she means business! Put down your Skinny Girl margs and see if you can bottle up the discreet changes in these two shots!

The business mogul happily strutted her stuff in the Big Apple ... heading into 'The Today Show' where she recently sat in for Jenna Bush. Wearing a bright blue romper, Ms. Frankel was up and at 'em with her bottle and bags in tow (and presumably her other essentials being rolled in).

"Commit to the Bit!"

It pays to be a 'Real Housewife of New York,' because some of the series icons are getting a quarter million dollars each to party in the Caribbean for a week ... while cameras roll, of course.

Sources close to the cast tell TMZ ... Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Dorinda Medley and Kristen Taekman are each being paid $250,000 to film a new show on location in St. Barts.

The 'RHONY' stars are back in action for Peacock's upcoming show ... "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy" ... and they arrived on the Caribbean island Tuesday and immediately began filming.

Don't worry, we did the math for ya ... the cast is making about $27,777 a day to party and film in St. Barts.

Bravo's spending $1.5 million on cast salaries alone, but the content should be worth it  ... as 'RHONY' fans know, the housewives went down to St. Barts back in 2012 for season 5, a trip that went down as one of the most memorable in franchise history.

St. Barts is where Luann famously partied with a Johnny Depp doppelgänger ... and she was joined on the trip by Ramona and Sonja.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this trip. Bravo's clearly banking on more drama than usual.

Bethenny Frankel is suffering ... and the symptoms sound just awful.

Bethenny tearfully revealed her struggle Thursday, knowing her fans would instantly notice her face looked odd. She says it's all related to her struggle with POTS disease -- a blood circulation disorder that is associated with bloating, extreme achiness, weight gain and, worst of all, dehydration.

Bethenny says the dehydration is messing with her life in a profound way ... she cannot retain water, and it has all sorts of consequences for her health. Her doctors say it's all related to POTS.

The 52-year-old says her disease has magnified since COVID, and there's no cure so she's really struggling.

American TV personality and author Aviva Drescher was 42 years old when she made her debut on Bravo's reality series "The Real Housewives of New York City" back in 2012.

Joining Aviva in the dramatic series included Ramona Singer as the turtle time wrangler with 'crazy eyes,' Luann de Lesseps as the countess and former model, Sonja Morgan as the outgoing recent divorcee and Carole Radziwill who gave Aviva a run for her money when it came to writing books.

During the season 6 finale, Aviva iconically threw her prosthetic leg onto the floor at a social event.

'RHONY' alum Jill Zarin is wasting no time ripping up her new $3.5 million home ... a lot of money for a fixer-upper, because she's spending millions renovating it.

She scooped up the Boca Raton mansion in July after selling the home she lived in just a few miles away. Jill's new 6,000 square foot home has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and 26-foot ceilings throughout -- 26-foot ceilings ... insane!

Jill's had a crew of construction workers changing the home from its original Mediterranean look to something more transitional.

She gutted the house and is adding a new chef's kitchen ... with a 5-foot galley workstation. There's a brand new annex bar, marble Napoleon fireplace and even custom tennis-themed bathrooms with racquet-patterned wallpaper.

Jill's also ripping out all the marble floors and installing new windows, among many other things. She's doing an exterior makeover as well, including landscaping which will include the now-obligatory pickleball court.

As for the backyard, it'll get an outdoor kitchen and a new, massive pool.

American TV personality and author Alex McCord was 34 years old when she made her debut on Bravo's reality series "The Real Housewives of New York City" back in 2008.

Joining Alex in the dramatic series included Bethenny Frankel as the 'skinny girl' empress, Ramona Singer as the turtle time wrangler with 'crazy eyes,' Luann de Lesseps as the countess and former model, Jill Zarin as the fabric store owner from Long Island, Sonja Morgan as the outgoing recent divorcee and Kelly Killoren Bensimon as the ultimate social lite and horseback rider.

Before this little musician turned into a stellar businesswoman and a fashion designer for some of Hollywood's biggest names, she was just a 70's kid stringin' on her guitar with big dreams of moving to the Big Apple.

Before creating her own business, Yummie Tummie, this clothing designer used her fashionista skills to help create clothing lines for Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Diddy. During her tenure as a "Real Housewife of New York City," she never backed down from her cast mates and even went head-to-head with Skinny Girl's Bethenny Frankel.

Need one more hint? The Berkshires!

Remy Ma was in early talks to become the first rapper-turned-'Real Housewife,' but she ran into a major problem -- because as any realtor would tell her, it's all about location, location, location.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... 'RHONY' star Eboni K. Williams brought up Remy's name to casting several months ago for the Bravo reality series ... suggesting Remy would be a great addition to the show.

We're told the casting team had a virtual chat with Remy and the conversation went really well ... but they hit a huge roadblock when they found out the Bronx-born MC now lives in New Jersey full-time.

Our sources say the rapper used to have an apartment in midtown Manhattan, but she doesn't anymore. At the time she was recommended to casting it was still believed she had ties to NYC.

While the Bravo series is historically loose about the cast's "wife" status, they're pretty strict when it comes to geography -- so all convos with Remy about "Real Housewives of New York City" ended.

We're told well-known NYC newscaster, Tamsen Fadal, from the CW affiliate PIX11 was also being considered, but ultimately that didn't work out, either.

Bravo hasn't officially announced the new cast for season 14. As we reported in April, housewives honcho Andy Cohen announced the network is completely rebooting and recasting 'RHONY' after 13 seasons.

Sonja Morgan is not taking no for an answer when it comes to selling her NYC townhouse ... because TMZ has learned she's just put it back on the market!

Real estate sources tell us the 'RHONY' star is listing her Upper East Side townhouse for $8.75 million. Sonja initially listed it way back in 2013 for $9.95 million amid her divorce from J.P. Morgan heir John A. Morgan.

The 4-bedroom home has seen a lot of changes since then because we're told Sonja has given it a complete makeover over the years.

She had an offer in 2017, but turned it down because her daughter needed stability at home amid the divorce -- she would frequently bring friends home from boarding school, so they still needed the space.

As we've reported, she listed the 5-story townhouse for the 7th time in 2017 for around $10 mil ... still, to no avail.

Someone's missing out ... all the bedrooms feature wood-burning fireplaces, and there's also an elevator, sauna, gym, and terrace -- all sitting in the ritzy Madison Ave and Central Park neighborhood.

In January 2020, Sonja had an $11.75 million cash offer, but the buyer ended up dropping out in February when the pandemic began. Then, for a period of time, she couldn't show the home because of COVID.

After the lockdown lifted in the city, she rented the home to a family from Spain, before renting it out to a new tenant, for 32k a month. We're told, the tenant recently moved out.

Now, Sonja is back at it ... determined to get the pad rented again, or sold for the asking price.

'RHONY' alum Dorinda Medley is on to new things ... cause TMZ has learned she sold the a Manhattan pad she's had for the last couple of decades.

Sources familiar with the sale tell TMZ the former NYC housewife sold her Upper East Side apartment near the end of May for $2,498,000 million. She paid $1.2 million for the place in 2007.

The apartment has loft-like 14-foot high ceilings with oversized windows, huge closet space, a chef's kitchen .... and a ton of renovations, including brand new bathrooms with designer fixtures and hardwood floors throughout.

Whoever snagged the space will also be able to enjoy a 24-hour concierge, a swimming pool, and a yoga room ... just to name a few of the building's amenities.

We're told she's already bought a new place in The Big Apple and the new pad is currently undergoing renovations. She's currently spending her summer at her home, "Blue Stone Manor" in The Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

'RHONY' alum Jill Zarin isn't fretting that she hasn't gotten a call for the 'RHONY' throwback series ... she says even if she's shut out, she's grateful for everything the network has done for her.

We got the former NY housewife at LAX, Tuesday, and asked how she feels about the new series "RHONY: Throwback" that's in the works ... which will feature some of the OG New York women.

Jill tells us, she hasn't heard from producers but she's not worried because she doesn't think anyone has gotten a call, at least not yet. She thinks Bravo execs are focused on rebooting and recasting for the original 'RHONY.'

Of course, this is very different in tone from former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star, NeNe Leakes, who just filed a lawsuit in federal court ... accusing 'RHOA' producers of ignoring her complaints about years of alleged racist remarks directed her way by a fellow cast member Kim Zolciak-Biermann.

She also claims Bravo execs blacklisted her ... making it hard to take legal action sooner and making it hard to find work.

Bethenny Frankel might've been groovin' out a little too much on the roller rink in New York City ... getting into the music before taking a hard fall.

The philanthropist/entrepreneur was at the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink for the opening of Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace -- where it's transformed into a roller rink. It's all the rage again ... decades after roller skating was a thing.

Bethenny was dancing away while putting on lip gloss ... then falling butt-first on the floor. Luckily, someone was nearby to offer the former 'RHONY' star an assist.

The event was packed with celebs ... Usher hosted the opening, and fellow icons Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Floyd Mayweather, and Meek Mill all laced up.

Bethenny's quite the talented skater, although ice is more her thing ... she was the runner-up on "Skating With The Stars" in 2010 -- making it all the way to the finale with her partner, professional skater Ethan Burgess.

Julia Fox has had no conversations with producers for "The Real Housewives of New York City," despite rumors swirling she might join the franchise ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell TMZ ... no conversations at all have occurred between Kanye West's former girlfriend of 2 months and 'RHONY' execs, whatsoever. But our sources did not shut down the possibility completely.

We're told producers are deep into casting but no decisions have been made yet. Still, we're told there has been no contact between Julia and producers.

In case you missed it, Bravo honcho Andy Cohen announced last week that the network is completely rebooting and recasting 'RHONY' after 13 seasons. Cohen also revealed the network will cast an additional series -- tentatively called "RHONY: Throwback" -- featuring some of the former New York housewives.

The "Uncut Gems" actress, who split from Ye in February, was raised in New York City and is good friends with 'RHONY' star Leah McSweeney, who also served as Julia's sponsor in AA years ago.

Luann de Lesseps' striking looks have us saying, "money CAN buy you class!"

Here's a 41-year-old version of the countess back in 2006 hanging out backstage at New York Fashion Week (left). This was two years before Luann snatched her 'apple' and became a leading cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City."

And, 15 years later ... the now 56-year-old ex-countess is still making a splash, she recently posted a shot as she prepares for her next cabaret tour which kicks off next month (right).

To think her iconic mug shot went viral just five years ago ... she has come a long way! "Feelin Jovani?" ... absolutely!

But, the real question here is ...

Ramona Singer's apprehensive about the 'Real Housewives of NYC' reunion taping, because she believes Eboni K. Williams is going to try to make her look racist ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us ... Ramona recently went to 'RHONY' producers to express her concerns about potential racial talks during the reunion -- specifically, that Eboni might attack her and frame her as a bigot.

We're told Ramona attempted to negotiate terms in order to avoid topics such as race during the Bravo special, but producers shot that down and said they'd never agree to that.

Our sources say Ramona accepts that, and has no plans to dodge the reunion -- she just wanted producers to know how she feels.

Of course, there's been a lot of drama surrounding the reunion already ... as it was scheduled to film in early August, but got bumped to September. Fans are speculating it's either due to low ratings or strife among the cast, but we're told it's simply due to "scheduling conflicts."

We broke the story ... Eboni fired back at those blaming the ratings slide on her race convos, saying it's on producers to decide what makes the final cut.

Eboni also appeared to throw shade toward her fellow housewives Thursday, when she posted a photo of her and Crystal Kung Minkoff -- the first Asian-American housewife on 'RHOBH' -- and wrote, "These deranged bigots are just mad AF that their days of dominance are coming to an end."

She included the hashtag #TimesUpOnWhiteSupremacy too, but didn't call out anyone by name.