Bethenny Frankel recently threatened to leave "The Real Housewives of New York" and cut ties with the entire Bravo network if she did not receive a huge raise.

Radar Online reports the SkinnyGirl mogul used her new production deal with Leftfield Entertainment as leverage in her battle with the network, noting that her first show, "Food Porn," is slated to premiere on the FYI Network this week.

"Bethenny is ready to take over television and become the next Ellen DeGeneres," a source said. "So before filming began for the 'Real Housewives of New York,' Bethenny demanded a huge pay increase."

Word is Frankel was seeking an annual salary of $2 million, or double what she is reported to have earned last season. Reportedly, Bravo countered with an offer of $1.5 million.

"She is a savvy businesswoman and was prepared to walk away from the series again," a source said.

Meanwhile, sources report all of Frankel's cast mates are furious with her new deal and may be on the verge of staging a mutiny of their own.

All indications are this could be a season of belt-tightening for the entire "Real Housewives" franchise. Rumors are the new budget for the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" was recently cut in half for this season compared to last.

Rumors are the reduction from $6 million to $3 million in budget largely stems from dreadful ratings for the recently aired "Real Housewives of New Jersey: Teresa Checks In" spin-off show.

The show was based on Teresa Giudice's husband Joe's efforts to keep his family of four young daughters together while his wife served out the remainder of her 15-month sentence on bank fraud charges. It also featured Giudice via jailhouse phone conversations with family members.

The 43-year-old Giudice has already signed on to return to the New Jersey show once she is released from custody sometime around Christmas.