Jill Zarin Talks Clearing the Air with Bethenny Frankel, Hosts Luxury Luncheon (Exclusive)

Jill Zarin held her annual luncheon in Southampton Saturday at the Halsey House and Garden to raise funds for the Bobby Zarin Memorial Trust, named in honor of her late husband.

Zarin, 59, was the picture of summer elegance in a flowered summer dress, hosting many of her fellow past and present Real Housewives.

Reflecting on reuniting with Bethenny Frankel on the “ReWives with Bethenny Frankel” podcast last week, Jill said, “It definitely was cathartic for me. It was like a release — it was great.”

Saying she did not hesitate to do it, Zarin admitted, “I would have five years ago," adding, “She’s in a different place, too. I also think it had to be mutual. There were times that I would clear the air, but it was not mutual.”

On the podcast, the former BFFs addressed one of their biggest fallouts — when Bethenny showed up with cameras at the 2018 funeral for Jill’s husband Bobby, who died at 71 after a cancer battle.

“I’ve been saying about the funeral for years that I had no idea that there were cameras there… I never signed a release," Jill recalled. "I was ambushed and it was a funeral… I didn’t know that she didn’t know that I didn’t know — it’s all spilled milk."

Jill and Bethenny also talked about the failed reboot of the original cast of “RHONY,” with Jill saying Bravo didn’t ask her to be on the legacy show. “They absolutely did not want me, of course," she asserted.

Of telling one of her Southampton guests, Luann de Lesseps, they should do the show as an ultimate girls' trip, Jill revealed, “I told her this should really be an ultimate girls' trip thing... It shouldn’t be a four-month thing… and then they did it… I’m happy about that that they did it."

How does Jill feel now about the ongoing versions of the show, all without her? "I just didn’t want to be a part of it anymore… No regrets," she said firmly. "I am so glad I did the show, so glad I am still part of it in a certain way… I’m never gonna go back.

So what does she really think of the new “RHONY"? Jill offered, “I have seen two episodes…The girls are adorable. I met some of them… I only wish them the best of luck — that’s the truth.”