Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel (born November 4, 1970)[1] is an American reality television personality, entrepreneur, and author. She rose to prominence as a contestant on the reality competition series The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, in which she was the runner-up, in 2005. She later became a main cast member in the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City; she has starred in eight of its twelve seasons since its premiere in 2008. She also starred in her own spin-off series Bethenny Ever After (2010–2012), Bethenny & Fredrik (2018), and the daytime talk show Bethenny (2013–2014).

Bethenny Frankel
Frankel in April 2009
Born (1970-11-04) November 4, 1970
New York City, U.S.
EducationBoston University
New York University (BA)
Occupation
  • Television personality
  • talk show host
  • entrepreneur
  • author
Years active1993–present
Spouse(s)
    Peter Sussman
    (
    m. 1996⁠–⁠1997)
      Jason Hoppy
      ​
      (
      m. 2010;
      separated 
      2012)
      Children1
      Parent(s)
      Websitebethenny.com

      Outside of her work in reality television, Frankel is the founder of the Skinnygirl, a lifestyle brand, and BStrong, a disaster relief organization. She is also the author of four self-help books.

      Early life

      Frankel is the only child of Robert J. Frankel, a horse trainer, and Bernadette Birk, an interior designer.[2][3] Her father was Jewish and her mother was a Roman Catholic of Welsh descent.[4][5][6] Her father left her mother when Frankel was four years old. When she was five, her mother married horse trainer John Parisella, who is of the Catholic faith.[2] Frankel describes her childhood as difficult.[2] Her mother, Frankel says, "was always drinking" and often argued violently with her stepfather.[2]

      Frankel said she moved many times and attended multiple schools before going to boarding school. Frankel attended Catholic schools as a girl, and she graduated in 1988 from the Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,[7] where she lived on campus. She attended the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City,[8] Boston University for two years, and graduated with a degree in psychology and communications from New York University.[9]

      Career

      Early career and television

      In 1992, Frankel moved to Los Angeles with hopes of being an actress. While she landed some small acting roles, she worked as a nanny to Paris Hilton and a personal assistant to Jerry Bruckheimer and Linda Bruckheimer.[10] During this time, Frankel also worked as a production assistant on the set of Saved by the Bell.[11] Frankel used these connections to start her first company, called "In Any Event", a party-planning business, which was short-lived.[10] Her next entrepreneurial enterprise was re-selling pashmina scarves that she bought wholesale from an Indian manufacturer.[10]

      In 2003, Frankel started a baking business called "BethennyBakes", focusing on "healthy" cookies and meal delivery in New York City, which was featured on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, a reality competition series, in 2005.[10][12][13] Frankel was one of two finalists on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.[14] The company, BethennyBakes, later went out of business in 2006, but Frankel remained a spokesperson for Pepperidge Farms low-calorie line.[10][13]

      In 2008, Frankel began starring in the reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, which premiered in March on Bravo.[15] In June 2010, Frankel starred in the Bravo reality series Bethenny Getting Married? (later retitled Bethenny Ever After), which documented her engagement and marriage to Jason Hoppy as well as the birth of their daughter. The series premiere became Bravo's highest-rated one at the time, garnering 2.1 million viewers.[16] In September 2010, Frankel announced her exit from The Real Housewives of New York City following its third season.[17] In November, she competed in the reality competition series Skating with the Stars and finished in second place.[18]

      Frankel taped the pilot of a potential talk show in June 2011.[19] The syndicated daytime talk show, eponymously titled Bethenny, premiered in September 2013.[20] It was canceled in February 2014 after one season.[21] Frankel rejoined The Real Housewives of New York City as a cast member for its seventh season, which premiered in April 2015.[22] In March 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported that Frankel had signed a deal with MGM Television and the company's chairman, Mark Burnett, to produce and star in future unscripted television projects.[23] In August of the same year, she announced her departure from The Real Housewives of New York City.[24] Frankel will star in an upcoming HBO Max reality competition series titled The Big Shot with Bethenny, which she will also produce alongside Burnett. The series is set to feature "aspiring business moguls compete for a job on Frankel's executive team."[25]

      Skinnygirl

      In March 2009, Frankel's book, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, was published and The SkinnyGirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, was published in December. She created an exercise DVD, Body by Bethenny, in spring 2010 and an audiobook, The Skinnygirl Rules, which summarized her two prior books.[26] In 2011, Frankel published, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life and in December 2012, published the novel Skinnydipping.[27][28]

      Frankel created a pre-packaged margarita line, named Skinnygirl Margarita, in 2009, which led to Frankel founding the company Skinnygirl and the cocktail line, Skinnygirl Cocktails. The company has since created products such as "candy, deli meat, sweeteners, popcorn, salad dressings, shapewear, and most recently, jeans and apparel."[29] She sold the cocktail line to Beam Global for $120 million in 2011.[30]

      Philanthropy and activism

      Frankel is the founder of BStrong, a disaster relief organization.[31] In 2017, the organization raised $300,000 in donations and supplies for the victims of Hurricane Harvey,[32] after which Frankel visited Houston, Texas to distribute these items.[33] In the same year, Frankel traveled to Mexico City and Jojutla, Mexico following the Puebla earthquake to raise awareness for the disaster's recovery efforts, for which BStrong also raised $150,000.[32][34] Also in the same year, Frankel chartered four planes to Puerto Rico and distributed medical supplies, food, water, and hygiene products in assisting with Hurricane Maria relief efforts.[35] In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, BStrong raised funds and delivered personal protective equipment such as masks, goggles, gowns, and sheets to hospitals in the U.S.[36]

      Frankel posed nude for a PETA billboard in September 2009.[37]

      Personal life

      Frankel married entertainment executive Peter Sussman from 1996 to 1997.[38] She married pharmaceutical sales executive Jason Hoppy in March 2010. They have one daughter, Bryn.[39] After the couple separated in December 2012, Frankel filed for divorce in January 2013.[40] A custody agreement was finalized in June 2014, followed by a financial settlement in July 2016.[41][42] Frankel and Hoppy are still legally married as of August 2019.[43] Since late 2018, she has been in a relationship with film producer Paul Bernon.[43]

      Frankel has a severe fish allergy and was hospitalized in December 2018 after consuming soup that contained fish.[44] She has since demanded that airlines stop serving fish stating that it is a hazard to passengers with fish allergies to be in the presence of cooked seafood in an enclosed commercial airline jet.[45]

      Filmography

      As herself
      Year Title Notes Ref.
      2005 The Apprentice: Martha Stewart Runner-up; 13 episodes
      2008–10,
      2015–19      		 The Real Housewives of New York City Main cast; seasons 1–3, 7–11
      2009 Z Rock Episode: "I Wanna Be Z-dated"
      2010–12 Chelsea Lately Guest; various episodes
      2010 Skating with the Stars Runner-up; 6 episodes
      2010–15 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest; various episodes
      2010–12 Bethenny Ever After Main cast
      2013–14 Bethenny Host
      2016, 2018 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Guest; seasons 6 and 8
      2016 Beat Bobby Flay Guest judge; season 10
      2017 Million Dollar Listing New York Guest
      2017–19 Shark Tank Guest Shark; 5 episodes
      2017 Bethenny & Fredrik Main cast
      2018 Bar Rescue Episode: "Operation: Puerto Rico"

      As actress
      Year Title Role Notes Ref.
      1993 Soiree Sans Hors D'oeuvres Woman Minor role
      1994 Hollywood Hills 90028 Laura Drake Lead role
      1995 Wish Me Luck Bridgette
      2013 The Neighbors Jill Episode 21: "Mo Purses Mo Money Mo Problems"

      Bibliography
      • Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting (ISBN 978-1416597988, 2009)
      • The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life (ISBN 978-1416597995, 2009)
      • Body by Bethenny: Body-sculpting Workouts to Unleash Your SkinnyGirl (ISBN 978-1-59828-440-9, 2010)
      • A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life (ISBN 978-1439186916, 2011)
      • Skinnydipping: A Novel (ISBN 978-1451667387, 2012)
      • Skinnygirl Solutions: Simple Ideas, Extraordinary Results (ISBN 978-1451667400, 2014)
      • Cookie Meets Peanut (ISBN 978-0316368438, 2014)
      • Skinnygirl Cocktails : 100 Fabulous and Flirty Cocktail Recipes and Party Foods for Any Occasion, Without the Guilt (ISBN 1476773025, 2014)
      • I Suck at Relationships So You Don't Have To: 10 Rules for Not Screwing Up Your Happily Ever After (ISBN 978-1451667424, 2016)

      References
      1. "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 4-10". The Associated Press. October 29, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      2. McNeil, Liz (July 19, 2010). "Bethenny Frankel: Love Saved My Life". People. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
      3. New York Daily News: "'Real Housewives of New York City' star Bethenny Frankel and husband Jason Hoppy separating" By Bill Hutchinson December 23, 2012
      4. "After Show: All About Baby". bravotv.com. October 28, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
      5. Video Interview on BravoTV: "After Show: All About Baby – Part V: Bethenny talks about her religious background and the most important thing Baby Bryn has taught her" Retrieved July 4, 2012 "My father was Jewish. The story goes – because you know I am not that close to my family, I am not there for the real history lessons – He married my mother and she converted to Judaism for him. She was Catholic but then she was with my stepfather for all those years. I went to Catholic school and I know more about that.",
      6. Bethenny Frankel (March 22, 2011). A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life. p. 56. ISBN 9781439186923. My mother had gone off to Wales for several months...her family is from Wales – very poor people who lived in shacks and raised pigeons
      7. Pinecrest Alumni newsletter Archived September 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 12, 2012
      8. "Bethenny Frankel". People. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
      9. Casserly, Meghan (October 13, 2011). "Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Deal: The Numbers Still Hold Up". Forbes.
      10. Casserly, Meghan (May 18, 2011). "Can Bethenny Crack A Billion?". Forbes.
      11. "Bethenny Frankel Shares Photo From 'Saved By The Bell' Set". HuffPost. June 26, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
      12. Fallon, Kevin (April 7, 2015). "The Second Coming of Bethenny Frankel". The Daily Beast.
      13. Sun, By John-John Williams IV, The Baltimore. "Bethenny Frankel: The Healthy 'Housewife'". Baltimore Sun.
      14. Garfinkel, Jacki (August 24, 2006). "Bethenny Frankel: A Reality Star One Year Later". Media Village. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
      15. Lowry, Brian (March 3, 2008). "The Real Housewives of New York". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      16. Kellogg, Jane (December 23, 2012). "Bethenny Frankel and Husband Jason Hoppy Separate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      17. Thomas, Devon (September 2, 2010). "Bethenny Frankel: I'm Leaving 'The Real Housewives of New York City'". CBS News. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
      18. Carlson, Adam (October 21, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel on Real Housewives Return: What She's Been Doing". Time. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      19. Bruce, Leslie (June 15, 2011). "Bethenny Frankel Already Taping Talk Show Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      20. Block, Alex Ben (August 2, 2013). "Bethenny Frankel on Her New Show, Being 'Polarizing' and Why She's Reducing the Sex Talk". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      21. Andreeva, Nellie (February 14, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show Cancelled". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
      22. Emery, Debbie (April 7, 2015). "Bethenny Frankel's Back as 'Real Housewives of New York' Returns With a Bang (Video)". TheWrap. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      23. Fleming Jr, Mike (March 19, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Makes Production Deal With MGM TV & Mark Burnett". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      24. Hipes, Patrick; Petski, Denise (August 21, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Exits 'Real Housewives Of New York' Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      25. Porter, Rick (February 19, 2020). "Bethenny Frankel to Topline HBO Max Competition Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      26. "Bethenny Frankel's Tips on Staying Slim, Sexy, and Fabulous".
      27. Unknown Author Skinnydipping World Cat, accessed December 18, 2012
      28. Frankel, Bethenny; Adamson, Eve (July 29, 2017). Skinnydipping. Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. OCLC 745978976.
      29. Quinn, Dave (May 2, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Decides to Sell Part of Her Skinnygirl Empire on RHONY: 'I Need a Break'". People. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      30. Bruce, Leslie (October 13, 2011). "Furious Bethenny Frankel Denies Claims She Inflated Skinnygirl Payday (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      31. Locke, Taylor (March 16, 2020). "How Bethenny Frankel works from home: 'You can get a lot more done'". CNBC. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      32. Kimble, Lindsay; McNeil, Liz (September 25, 2017). "Bethenny Frankel Travels to Mexico to Aid Earthquake Survivors: 'To Say They Have Nothing Is an Understatement'". People. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      33. Drew, Ian (September 11, 2017). "A 'Housewife' Heads to Hurricane Harvey-Ravaged Houston: 'This Is a Crisis'". Variety. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      34. Corinthios, Aurelie; McNeil, Liz (October 6, 2017). "Bethenny Frankel Charters 4 Planes to Aid Hurricane Maria Victims in Puerto Rico: 'It Is a War Zone'". People. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      35. Ryan, Lisa (October 3, 2017). "Bethenny Frankel Is on the Ground Providing Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico". The Cut. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      36. Real, Evan (March 26, 2020). "Inside Bethenny Frankel's Fight to Help Those Impacted by Coronavirus: "We're Working 24 Hours a Day"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      37. Hall, Katy (December 15, 2009). "Bethenny Frankel: Nude For PETA". HuffPost. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
      38. Owoseje, Toyin (August 11, 2018). "Who is Bethenny Frankel? RHONY star mourning boyfriend found dead in Trump Tower". The Independent. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      39. Carpentier, Fran (July 12, 2010). "Parade Magazine interview with Bethenny Frankel: "Bethenny Frankel: 'My Mother Hasn't Expressed Any Interest in Meeting Bryn'"". Parade. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      40. Kellogg, Jane (January 6, 2013). "Bethenny Frankel Officially Files for Divorce From Jason Hoppy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      41. Blumm, K. c. (June 4, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy's Custody Case Settled". People. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
      42. McNeil, Liz; Corinthos, Aurelie (July 18, 2016). "Bethenny Frankel Settles Nearly 4-Year Divorce Battle with Ex Jason Hoppy". People. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
      43. Quinn, Dave (August 23, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Is Not Married to Boyfriend Paul Bernon Despite Cryptic Tweet". People. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      44. Merrett, Robyn; McNeil, Liz (December 17, 2018). "Bethenny Frankel Suffers a Near-Fatal Allergic Reaction to Fish: 'I Thought I Had a Stroke'". People. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
      45. Roberts, Madison (January 24, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Had Another Health Scare After Fish Is Slated to Be Served on Her Flight. Again". People. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
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