The iconic star of "Hocus Pocus" took to the virtual stage of X (formerly known as Twitter) in March, casting a wide net for auditions for the popular Bravo franchise. Now, Bette Midler has revealed the surprising responses she garnered in her quest to join the illustrious cast of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."
In a candid conversation with E! News, Midler was queried about her potential cameo on her "The Fabulous Four" co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph's hit sitcom, "Abbott Elementary." She mischievously confessed that she often "drops hints" on Twitter about her desire for roles, including her earlier tweet directed at Bravo. "I tweeted, 'Is it too late for me to be on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?' And yes, I did receive some truly bizarre responses," she laughed, referring to her March post. (The official Bravo account had responded with, "Talk about a glorious crossover!")
Pressed further on whether she would indeed grace the "RHOBH" screens, Midler confessed that it would pose "more than a minor challenge" compared to her brief appearance on "Abbott Elementary." "Truth be told, I'm not exactly a housewife," she said with a wink. "But I am more of a housewife than they are. After all, why not? Who cares about such trifles at this point in time?"
In a separate interview with Andy Cohen for THR's cover story, the host of "Watch What Happens Live" and producer of "Real Housewives" was queried about the possibility of adding celebrity names to the franchise, especially with Midler's public interest. Cohen shared, "Tori Spelling has been vocal about her desire to join the show. She'd undoubtedly bring a lot of drama, but we've never really had a serious discussion with her. I have mixed feelings about having stars on the show. When Lisa Rinna auditioned for the first season of Beverly Hills, I was initially against it. She's already famous! But she turned out to be a perfect fit."
More recently, it was announced that actress Jennifer Tilly would be joining the upcoming 14th season as a "friend" of the cast.
Switching gears in her E! News interview, Midler offered an update on the highly anticipated "Hocus Pocus 3," which is currently in the developmental stages following the success of last year's sequel. "When I first heard about it, they mentioned that a script was being written," she revealed. "They sort of dangled the possibility of a sequel in front of our noses, teasing us with 'We're working on it, we're working on it.' But as of yet, we haven't seen anything concrete."
She assured fans that she and her "Hocus Pocus" co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy "would love to reprise our roles. We adore those characters, we love the continuation of the story with the sequel, we love everything about it." And speaking of sequels, Midler revealed another project she would relish revisiting: "First Wives Club." She reminisced fondly about the 1996 classic, co-starring with Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn, saying, "I adore those girls. They're both tremendous."
