‘RHONY’ Bethenny Frankel’s Life and Career

Bethenny Frankel is one of the most recognizable cast members on The Real Housewives of New York, with the 47-year-old having appeared on the show since its first season in 2008.

Since then, she’s become a mom, author and successful businesswoman, selling her company, Skinnygirl Cocktails, for a reported $100 million in 2011. Frankel has also continued to expand Skinnygirl into a global lifestyle brand, as well as expanding her own personal brand, even appearing on Shark Tank as an investor during the show’s most recent season.

Read on to find out more about Frankel.

Early life

Frankel was born in 1970, and her father left her family when she was four years old.

“I was an adult as a child,” Frankel told Business Insider. “I saw so much as a very young child that I think it matured me in an unnatural and unusual way.”

She went on to attend Boston University and New York University, later moving to Los Angeles to become an actress where she held a number of jobs, including a production assistant on Saved by the Bell and a personal assistant to Paris Hilton’s mom, Kathy Hilton.

Martha Stewart

After creating her company Bethenny Bakes, Frankel went on to land a spot on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005, becoming one of the show’s two finalists.

According to Frankel, she and the lifestyle icon didn’t exactly bond on set, with Frankel telling Seth Meyers on Late Night With Seth Meyers that Stewart “doesn’t like me.”

“She doesn’t like me. She never really has. She’s consistent,” Frankel said. “We had a moment where we were going to do something on TV recently together. She’s always been like a parent that I’ve always tried to get them to love me, but I gave up on that a couple years ago when I had my own show. She just never misses the opportunity to say something negative about me or my products.”

Hello Bravo

In 2008, Frankel was cast on RHONY, despite not being married or having children, and ended up becoming one of the franchise’s most recognizable cast members. 

“I didn’t want to be on the show,” she told Business Insider. “I thought it was going to be a bunch of drunk people acting crazy and a disaster. It was, and I ended up making money off of that, those drunk people.”

Frankel ended up on the show for its first three seasons, taking a break before returning for Season 7. She is currently a cast member on the series, which is in its tenth season.

Skinnygirl

Frankel is now equally known for her business savvy, along with her role as a reality star, having sold her company, Skinnygirl Cocktails, for a reported $100 million in 2011.

The mogul founded the Skinnygirl brand during her time on Real Housewives, originally offering lighter versions of popular cocktails and creating a brand new category of alcohol. She partnered with Beam Suntory in 2011 to expand the brand, which now offers popcorn, candy and other food items, as well as clothing including shapewear and jeans. 

Frankel now serves as the CEO of Skinnygirl.

Second marriage

In 2010, Frankel married Jason Hoppy, and the two scored their own Bravo spinoff show, Bethenny Getting Married, which became the highest-rated series the network had ever had upon its premiere.

Frankel separated from Hoppy in December 2012 and filed for divorce one month later. The pair’s relationship has since seen a huge amount of legal drama, with Frankel even taking out a restraining order against her ex. The pair is also locked in a custody battle over their 8-year-old daughter Bryn, with Frankel suing for full custody. 

Frankel had previously been married to industry executive Peter Sussman from 1996 to 1997.

Dating

After her split from Hoppy, Frankel dated director Trevor Engelson for a brief period of time before the pair’s relationship transitioned into a business one.

She had also been dating longtime friend Dennis Shields on and off for years. On Friday, Aug. 10, Shields was found dead in his hotel room of an apparent overdose.

Just days before, he had spoken about Frankel on the Listen Up Show With Mitchell Chadrow on August 5.

“She’s great. She’s a great mother. She’s a great person,” Shields said of Frankel. “She’s really, really smart. She is terrific in every way.”

Author

Frankel has authored a number of books, including Skinnygirl brand books, a children’s book and four self-help books.

Her complete list of titles include Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, Body by Bethenny: Body-sculpting Workouts to Unleash Your SkinnyGirl,A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life, Skinnydipping: A Novel, Skinnygirl Solutions: Simple Ideas, Extraordinary Results, Cookie Meets Peanut and I Suck at Relationships So You Don’t Have To: 10 Rules for Not Screwing Up Your Happily Ever After.

Business mogul

In addition to her Skinnygirl brand, the reality star also founded a production company, B Real Productions, which has produced two seasons of FYI’s Food Porn as well as Bravo’s Bethenny & Fredrik, which pairs Frankel with New York City real estate agent Fredrik Eklund, who starred on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York.

“I’ve got a couple of things that I’m working on that are going to be monstrous,” Frankel told BI. “I don’t want to rest on my laurels. Skinnygirl was great, but that was a while ago, and so let’s see if I can ring the bell again and again.”

Charity work

In addition to her businesses, Frankel also participates in charity work through her B Strong program, which focuses on helping women and their families. After Hurricane Maria, Frankel traveled to Puerto Rico with the organization to help aid those affected. She had also previously traveled to Houston after Hurricane Harvey and Jojutla, Mexico after an earthquake.

“It was like a war zone,” she said of her trip to Puerto Rico. “It felt like you had to be completely rogue and you could do anything you wanted because nobody was there. It was by any means necessary. It was just: Get it done. Just figure it out, and get it done. Just find people you can trust, and distribute.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Rodin Eckenroth