Bethenny Frankel is a television personality who is also a successful entrepreneur and real estate investor. Frankel is most recognized for appearing on the Bravo reality TV series The Real Housewives of New York City. She made the majority of her wealth from founding the Skinnygirl brand. As of 2023, Bethenny Frankel has a net worth of $80 million.
Early Life
Frankel was born on November 4, 1970, in New York City, United States. Her mother, Bernadette Birk, is an interior designer, and her father, Robert, is a horse trainer.
When Bethenny turned four years old, her father left the family. A year later, her mom married another horse trainer named John Parisella. As her stepdad and mother had a rough relationship, Frankel moved around a lot growing up.
In 1988, she graduated from Pine Crest School and went to Natural Gourmet Institute and Boston University before graduating from NYU. She finished with a degree in Communications and Psychology.
Career Beginnings
She worked as a nanny for Paris Hilton and as a personal assistant for Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer while pursuing minor acting roles in 1992. Frankel was also a production assistant for NBC’s Saved by the Bell.
Bethenny Frankel built up enough connections to launch her first business, In Any Event, which specialized in party planning. However, it didn’t last long and later transitioned to selling pashmina scarves.
Her next venture was BethennyBakes, a baking company that specializes in healthy cookies and food delivery. She got to join the NBC game show “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” and reached the final.
Reality TV
In 2008, the businesswoman was invited to join the cast of the reality series The Real Housewives of New York City. Her marriage with pharmaceutical sales executive Jason Hoppy was documented on the show.
Two years later, she was offered her own show, “Bethenny Ever After”. For a time, it was one of the top rated programs on Bravo. She also starred in a FOX talk series called “Bethenny”. Then, headed two other shows, “Bethenny & Fredrik” and “The Big Shot with Bethenny”.
With her reality TV success, she got to start new endeavors. Her biggest project is Skinnygirl, a brand for her books, DVDs, and alcoholic drinks. She also created the Just B podcast. In recent years, Bethenny has become a relatively successful home renovator. Bethenny owns a slew of properties around the East Coast and has flipped multiple properties for some tidy profits.
Net Worth and Earnings
It is reported that Bethenny Frankel makes $40,000 per episode on RHONY. It can also be assumed that she makes a similar figure on her other shows.
Her most profitable business is Skinnygirl as she sold Skinnygirl Cocktails for $100 million to Beam Global in 2011 but held onto the rights to the Skinnygirl name. Cleverly, this allowed her to maintain control of her brand and used it to launch new products. This, and her other pursuits, give her a fortune worth $80 million.
Personal Life
In 1996, Bethenny married an entertainment executive named Peter Sussman, but they split up a year later. She tied the knot with Jason Hoppy in 2010 and the couple had one child together, Bryn, but they eventually divorced. She is currently engaged to Paul Bernon, a movie producer.
