Tinsley Mortimer is the new housewife on RHONY and is currently filming. Not much is known about how she fits into the show, but there is a lot of info out there on Tinsley. I have a feeling she is being brought in to either be a friend or a foe of Bethenny Frankel’s. Last season it seemed like Bethenny and Carole against everyone else. I don’t really think Bethenny needs another minion. I think Tinsley will probably fit in as someone who is as “vulgar” for lack of a better term as she is. Carole mostly just smiles and nods and rarely gets her own hands dirty. Tinsley seems more balls to the wall, like Bethenny.
Today, I watched a 2007 (I think this date may be an error on the TV listing and it was actually 2009) episode of Dr. Phil with Tinsley Mortimer and her mother. The episode was entitled “Meddling Moms.” The show filmed when Tinsley was on a CW reality show called High Society. Tinsley’s mother was very unhappy with the divorce between Tinsley and Topper and was a “meddling mom” by trying to get her daughter back together with the man responsible for her social status in Manhattan. Tinsley dated quickly when she filed for divorce and very publicly. She did not wait for the divorce to be final. Her mother felt as though there was a lot of unfinished business between Tinsley and Topper and that Tinsley just moved on without attending to that business.
Tinsley’s mother spoke frequently to Topper about his unhappiness over the divorce and Tinsley felt her mother was taking Topper’s side. She probably wishes she had listened to her mother 10 years ago. Her mother also told her not to do reality TV ten years ago and she did it anyway. But to be fair, so did her mother, and her sister. Many people feel that choice was what ultimately dropped her social standing in NYC to the point where she doesn’t seem to have one anymore.
Tinsley and Topper were high school sweethearts. Tinsley says they just grew apart over time. Or, perhaps she had a wandering eye.
Tinsley tells her mother that she really needs her support and points out that she has always been a good girl who makes good decisions. Well, maybe not so much but we will get into that later.
Tinsley’s mother would talk to Topper at 3 a.m. during the divorce proceedings and plot with him to get Tinsley back. The mother admits the phone calls, but sort of denies the plotting. Their segment ended with Dr. Phil telling Tinsley’s mother she needs to be there for Tinsley and that means being on her side in the divorce.
There is a plethora of intel out there on Tinsley Mortimer. I’ve provided some links here before because there is a lot to know. A. Lot.
Here is a NY Post Story from 2010 about the unsavory characters on Tinsley’s first reality show. Note that Bethenny Frankel is mentioned. It’s sort of Tinsley adjacent, but makes me think Tinsley has encountered Bethenny before.
Here is the unraveling of the marriage discussed on NY Magazine and the “Prince” she ran off with.
And finally, Page Six is of course covering her every move. From what I read here, she seems to be filming with Sonja and Ramona. So many she was brought in to be Bethenny’s RIVAL. Now that would make more sense and be more interesting.
Bethenny has been unhappy with Andy Cohen since the reunion filmed in August, followed by her issues in The Hamptons. Bethenny is no longer getting the special snowflake treatment from Andy and rumora about that she has been speaking negatively about him in NYC for quite some time. Making an actual socialite the antagonist to Bethenny who wants all the publicly and social status she can get is sort of evil genius. On the other hand, Bethenny doesn’t have a bunch of mugshots out in the world. And in this battle, I think I’d place my bets, and possibly my allegiance with Bethenny.
As for Luann’s wedding this weekend, I’m still being told that Dorinda is the only invited guest, and she is a bride’s maid. I’m hearing that an all cast wedding celebration may occur after Luann returns from her honeymoon to the Bahamas.
emm.. juicy, any one to ruffle Bethenny’s feathers is fine with me.
Lord, it would be nice to see someone knock B down a peg, or two (but, Lord, I don’t know if I can take it).
Thanks TT.
Ugh, I’m so in love with the name ONLY, just don’t know about her. If she is foe to Bethany, than maybe. Just didn’t love what in my mind a Tinsley Mortimer would be. 🙂
This new person makes it seem more interesting. Will watch and find out!
I just want a more chill Bethenny this season. She was so miserable last season and made everyone else miserable along with her, including me.
The only one who could go head to head with her is Heather. Wait, maybe that’s why she’s gone??
I actually watched every episode of “High Society” and remember it well. It was kind of fascinating at the time, as there were very few reality shows out there. It seemed to me that Tinsley’s mother was more concerned about keeping her own social status as beingTinsley’s mother afforded her, rather than her daughter actually being happy. Unfortunately, Tinsley fell into an abusive relationship after she fell out of grace with New York society. No woman deserves to be beat on. There is a Page Six article from some time back about the rise and fall of a New York “it girl” that discusses what happened to Tinsley. It is an interesting read. As far an B goes, she is loyal to no one but herself and is the same mean, vapid witch she always was. Her whole “this isn’t interesting to me” line could not be more rude. I really cannot stand her.
Tinsley defines thirsty. Trust me on this.
This should make for some great TV. Unfortunately I feel like Beth will just chew Tinsley up and spit her out. Even though B was never part of NYC “society” so to speak the way Tinsley was, she is a native New Yorker and worked for everything she has. Tinsley was a transplant from VA who just happened to meet the right guy and got a come up. Doesn’t seem like she ever really had to work for anything in her life.
The former Tinsley Mercer was no “come up” as you put it. Just because she was not born in New York does not make her irrelevant. The New Yorker article describes her family background as ” The Mercers have a background as illustrious as the Mortimers, tracing their roots back to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry, Virginia’s original boldface names.” They may not have been as wealthy as the Mortimers, but they were not poor. She is no Sonia Morgan, who clearly got lucky. Both Tinsley & Topper inherited their wealth from their families, but Dale, Tinsleys mother divorced her father. As far as BF goes, her father was a well know American thoroughbred race horse trainer whom ESPN called one of the most successful and respected trainers in the history of thoroughbred racing. BF likes to play poor little me, but that is clearly not the case. However both her mother and father were not supportive of her endeavors. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Tinsley was raised in a wealthy home with a butler, nanny, gardeners. She married well on top of that.
But I don’t think she is lazy. From reading her bio — she hasn’t just devoted her life to day drinking and hanging with the “ladies who lunch.”
When she was married to Topper, she worked for Vogue, and also Dior. She had her own signature Dior lipstick. After the divorce, she moved to Florida and got an actual, normal job. Gasp.
Now she has a home decor line. Some of the stuff is weird, and expensive. But the Four Seasons in Vegas uses her line and another upscale hotel in Boca Raton. That’s impressive.
And FTR — Bethenny is hardly from humble beginnings. For instance, she met the wife of her BF or ex-BF at a boarding school in Florida. And “word on the street” is that all that “normal working class hustler” was a schtick for reality TV.
Y’all sound like her publicists. I don’t doubt she grew up well off but doesn’t sound like she had generational wealth like her ex Topper. So yes, that was a come up. Without her ex, I doubt she would have achieved her “It Girl” status otherwise. Modeling, working for Dior, sitting front row at fashion shows..sounds like such back breaking work. Sure, she had a real job briefly, but clearly that wasn’t good enough for her which is how she got tangled up with the Fanjul guy and ended up screaming outside his house in the middle of the night.
I also never said Beth grew up poor. Clearly she didn’t if she went to boarding school and was friends with Kyle Richards. Kind of like how the Kardashians started out – both her and Tinsley actually. Enough money to live in the right neighborhoods and go to right schools/have the right friends, but no generational wealth (i.e old money). There is a big difference. However, Tinsley had wealthy connected husband to bankroll her lifestyle and Beth didn’t have that. I just sense there being a lot of bitterness stemming from that.
Thanks for the links, interesting… I’m no Beth fan she’s too much of a whinger for me. Maybe Tinsley will give some well needed input into the NYC saga. Who knows, only time will tell or perhaps it will just be more fresh hell.
Ugh, I remember Devorah from Bethenny’s cover shoot. She was so over the top and fake. But I’m pretty excited about the Tinsley addition. Bummed I never got to see her show.
When Tinsely airs on RHONY maybe CW will so a weekend marathon. Some figure out a way to know if that happens.
In High Society Tinsley & Devorah wre very much at odds. Tinsley thought Devorah was trying to ride her coat tails so to speak.
I thought her pic was Crystal Hefner before she fucked up her face with surgery.
I’m not sure I can do another season of RHONY as Bethenny is the most exhausting person on the planet. But I probably will to support Luann.
Didn’t Tinsley used to hang around Paris Hilton? Or am I getting my sociallites mixed up? Lol
I’m hoping Bethenny has a worthier opponent this season than Jules. That was like bringing a butter knife to a gun fight.
If I had to pick who I’d want to hang with, it would be Bethenny and Carole any day of the week. The rest are too vapid for my taste. I’ll reserve judgement on Tinsely but with a name (and a mother) like that? We shall see.
I am excited about Tinsley.
From what I have read, (thanks for the links!) I don’t think she is as crazy as some have said. But clearly, she makes terrible choices with men. Her relationship with Fanjul was out of control. One of his neighbors told Page Six that he witnessed Fanjul tackle her. The man tried to smother her with a pillow? She recorded a video of him keying her car, chasing her, and ripping the windshield wipers off her car and using them to break the windshield. And his mother denied it all and basically said that the family would destroy Tinsley. SMDH.
Let’s hope she really has broken up with him. The last thing we need is more abusive relationship drama on Bravo.