Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel Profile

Self-made business woman and television personality, Bethenny Frankel used her marketing smarts and unstoppable drive to build the Skinny Girl empire. While she’s most visible as the witty and unconventional heroine on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York, Frankel’s most important projects and accomplishments are off-screen.

A formally trained natural-foods chef, Frankel has launched hundreds of products under her Skinny Girl brand, which focuses on delivering high-quality low-calorie foods and beverages for women. Her business acumen has made her one of the top-earning reality television stars of all time with an estimated net worth of $25 million.

One of her greatest financial successes is Skinnygirl Cocktails, which ranks among the best-selling reduced calorie alcohol brands worldwide. In 2011, Frankel sold her liquor company to Beam Global (now Beam Suntory) for $100 million but retained the rights to use the name, a decision that has paid off for Frankel to the tune of millions of dollars.

Frankel grew up in a working-class family in the New York area. She graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City and got her big break in television as the runner-up on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. At a New York social event, one of the original New York Housewives, Jill Zarin, recognized her from The Apprentice and convinced her to audition for a show she was producing, ultimately leading to Frankel’s role on The Real Housewives of New York. Frankel added a diverse aspect to the cast in that she was the only protagonist who did not come from a privileged background. Rather, producers described her as “a real New York woman trying to make things happen.”

And make things happen, she did. Aside from using her TV spot as a platform for her company, she has strengthened her personal brand with five best-selling books: Skinnydipping, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out Of Life, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, The Skinnygirl™ Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, and I Suck At Relationships So You Don’t Have To. She is also a prominent activist for women and families in crisis and has provided supplies to thousands of hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Texas in-person and through the support of her non-profit program, B Strong.

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  Bethenny Frankel is a businesswoman ahead of the curve, who has always identified and capitalized on business opportunities, from becoming a natural food’s chef and marketing Bethenny Bakes, her healthy baked goods to selling “Princess Pashminas” at house parties, and ultimately creating the low calorie cocktail category, with the launch of Skinnygirl Cocktails.

  The runner-up on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart led her to Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City, followed by the spin-off series, Bethenny Getting Married? and Bethenny Ever After… Viewers were captivated by her wit, wisdom and humor as they followed her personal life becoming a mother and her professional journey creating her Skinnygirl empire, leading to her being named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities by Forbes magazine. She brought her distinct voice and candid point of view to Bethenny, her nationally syndicated daytime talk program. Most recently, it was announced she’ll join ABC-TV’s Shark Tank as a guest shark.

  A true entrepreneur, to further build Skinnygirl Cocktails, Bethenny partnered with Beam Suntory in 2011 to grow the portfolio to include wines, flavored vodkas, and ready-to-drink cocktails. Since the launch of Skinnygirl Cocktails, she has expanded the Skinnygirl brand into a lifestyle empire, featuring products for women that offer practical solutions to everyday problems. Some of the many Skinnygirl products include non-alcoholic beverages, microwave popcorn, candy, luncheon meats, salad dressings, coffee, tea, liquid sweeteners, water enhancers, and shapewear.

  Bethenny started her own TV production company, B Real Productions, producing two seasons of FYI’s “Food Porn,” and creating, producing and, starring in Bravo’s new real estate show, “Keeping it Real Estate with Bethenny and Frederik.”

  She is the five-time New York Times bestselling author of Skinnydipping, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out Of Life, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, The Skinnygirl™ Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, and I Suck At Relationships So You Don’t Have To. She has also authored Skinnygirl Solutions: Simple Ideas, Extraordinary Results, the children’s book, Cookie Meets Peanut, and the cocktail book, Skinnygirl Cocktails.

  Not fulfilled with business alone, Bethenny’s life’s experiences have inspired her to help other women in crisis find their own strength and resilience with the launch of B Strong, in partnership with Dress for Success. B Strong: Find Your Yes is a crisis intervention initiative that will provide real-time emergency assistance to women who face crises on their road to success. She has also provided emergency assistance to those affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and and Hurricane Maria in 2017.