Bethenny Frankel on Jill Zarin's Real Housewives Firing: "She's a Survivor"

Jill Zarin may have been fired from The Real Housewives of New York City earlier this year after four seasons, but Bethenny Frankel isn't worried about her former co-star (and ex-BFF).

"She's a survivor and she is definitely well-to-do," Frankel told reporters at Bravo's winter TV previews Saturday. "I don't think she's worried about finding a job."

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Zarin, 48, was one of four New York cast members fired in September after the fourth season. Frankel, 41, left the series in 2010 to film her own spin-off, Bethenny Ever After. Frankel and Zarin had a falling out shortly before Season 3 began filming. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week, Zarin said she felt she deserved a finder's fee for bringing Frankel on to the show. "I didn't get to make the money I feel I deserved," she told the magazine. "I didn't just help make the show popular; I cast it. I brought in Bethenny, and I don't get a percentage of anything she spins off."

Frankel did not address those comments specifically, but said that she believes that Zarin is probably going through a hard time. "I'm sure it just stings a little bit and she has her own way of dealing with it," she said. "I'm sure it's difficult for her to watch what's gone on with me."

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On the upcoming third season of Bethenny Ever After, Frankel addresses the "challenging" scrutiny from the media over her business, and allegations that she lied about being lost at sea earlier this year for her show. "The minute that I sold part of my business it was like someone was waiting at my doorstep to hit me with a baseball bat in the back of the head," she said. "There was a period where I felt I really had to react and explain and that period has passed. A lot of that gets addressed on the show. I'm fortunate that I have the ability to show everybody what's going on."

Now the question is whether Frankel, allegedly a multimillionaire thanks to her Skinnygirl line of cocktails, will sign on for a fourth season of Bethenny Ever After. "Going forward that's a decision I'll have to make," she said. "It's not about the paycheck; it's about the message."

Season 3 of Bethenny Ever After premieres on Monday, Feb. 20 at 9/8c on Bravo.