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Frankel used these connections to start her first company, called "In Any Event", a party-planning business, which was short-lived.<ref>http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html</ref> Her next entrepreneurial enterprise was re-selling [[pashmina]] scarves that she bought wholesale from an Indian manufacturer. <ref>http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html</ref>
Frankel used these connections to start her first company, called "In Any Event", a party-planning business, which was short-lived.<ref>http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html</ref> Her next entrepreneurial enterprise was re-selling [[pashmina]] scarves that she bought wholesale from an Indian manufacturer. <ref>http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html</ref>


In 2003, Frankel started a baking business called "BethennyBakes", focusing on "healthy" cookies, which was featured on ''[[The Apprentice: Martha Stewart]]'' in 2005.<ref>http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html</ref> Frankel was one of two finalists on ''[[The Apprentice: Martha Stewart]]'', a reality competition series.<ref name="mediavillage.com">{{cite web
In 2003, Frankel started a baking business called "BethennyBakes", focusing on "healthy" cookies, which was featured on ''[[The Apprentice: Martha Stewart]]'', a reality competition series, in 2005.<ref>http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html</ref> Frankel was one of two finalists on ''[[The Apprentice: Martha Stewart]]''.<ref name="mediavillage.com">{{cite web
| url =http://www.mediavillage.com/jmentr/2006/08/24/Jacki-08-24-06/
| url =http://www.mediavillage.com/jmentr/2006/08/24/Jacki-08-24-06/
| title=Bethenny Frankel: A Reality Star One Year Later|author=Jacki Garfinkel
| title=Bethenny Frankel: A Reality Star One Year Later|author=Jacki Garfinkel

Revision as of 05:47, 12 October 2019

Bethenny Frankel
Frankel in April 2009
Born (1970-11-04) November 4, 1970 (age 54)
EducationPine Crest School
Alma materBoston University
Occupations
  • Television personality
  • talk show host
  • entrepreneur
  • author
Years active1993–present
Spouses
Peter Sussman
(m. 1996; div. 1997)
Jason Hoppy[1]
(m. 2010)
Children1
FatherRobert J. Frankel
Websitebethenny.com

Bethenny Frankel (born November 4, 1970)[2] is an American reality television personality, entrepreneur, and author. She was a contestant on the reality TV game show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, in which she was the runner-up, in 2005. Frankel received wider notice after being cast on the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City; she has starred in eight of its eleven seasons since it premiered in 2008. She received her own spin-off series Bethenny Ever After (2010–12), Bethenny & Fredrik (2018), and the talk show Bethenny (2013–14).

Outside of her work in reality television, Frankel is the founder of the Skinnygirl lifestyle brand and the author of four self-help books. Her "B Strong" program became active in disaster relief efforts in 2017.

Early life

Frankel is the only child of Robert J. Frankel, a horse trainer, and Bernadette Birk, an interior designer.[3][4] Her father was Jewish and her mother was a Roman Catholic of Welsh descent.[5][6][7] 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.[3] Frankel describes her childhood as difficult.[3] Her mother, Frankel says, "was always drinking" and often argued violently with her stepfather.[3]

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,[8] where she lived on campus. She attended the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City,[9] and New York University, graduating with a degree in psychology and communications.[10]

Career

Television & Early Companies

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.[11] During this time, Frankel also worked as a production assistant on the set of Saved by the Bell.[12]

Frankel used these connections to start her first company, called "In Any Event", a party-planning business, which was short-lived.[13] Her next entrepreneurial enterprise was re-selling pashmina scarves that she bought wholesale from an Indian manufacturer. [14]

In 2003, Frankel started a baking business called "BethennyBakes", focusing on "healthy" cookies, which was featured on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, a reality competition series, in 2005.[15] Frankel was one of two finalists on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.[16][17] The company, BethennyBakes, later went out of business in 2006, but Frankel remained a spokesperson for Pepperidge Farms low-calorie line.[18]

In 2008, Frankel was selected for the reality TV series The Real Housewives of New York City.[19] In June 2010, Frankel starred in the Bravo reality TV show Bethenny Getting Married?, which documented her engagement and marriage to Jason Hoppy, and the birth of their daughter. At the time of its premiere, the series was the highest rated of any series in Bravo's history.[20][21] In September 2010, Frankel announced that for personal reasons she would not be returning to The Real Housewives of New York City for its fourth season.[22] However, following months of speculation, it was confirmed on October 20, 2014, that Bethenny would return to the cast for the seventh season of the show as a main housewife after three seasons absent.[23][24]

Discussion of Frankel as a host for a talk show were initiated in 2011[25] and revived in 2012.[26][27] The Bethenny show premiered on September 9, 2013,[28] and was canceled on February 14, 2014, airing repeats until the end of the television season.[29] In August 2019, just days before filming started on the 12th season of The Real Housewives of New York, Frankle announced she was not going to return to focus on her personal life.

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 audio book, The Skinnygirl Rules, which summarized her two prior books.[30] 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.[31][32]

Frankel created the Skinnygirl cocktail[33] company in April 2011 and later sold the company to Fortune Brands' Beam Global (now a part of Suntory) for an estimated $100 million. [34][35][36]

In May 2017, Bethenny celebrated the Midwest launch of Skinnygirl Market Fresh Deli. It is a line of pre-packaged lunch meat that is free from preservatives and certified[37] by the American Heart Association for containing lower levels of sodium and fat.[38] Skinnygirl Market Fresh Deli is also a supporter of Bethenny's program, B-Strong: Find Your Yes, which is a division of Dress for Success. The program provides a "multi-layered support system, resources and financial assistance for women coping with crisis situations."[38]

Causes

Her B Strong program for women and their families in crisis works with the national disaster relief charity Delivering Good to provide people affected by the hurricanes of 2017 with gift cards, bank cards, and critical supplies. Frankel and her team helped people who survived natural disasters in Puerto Rico, Houston, Mexico City.[39]

Frankel posed nude for a PETA billboard in September 2009.[40]

Personal life

Frankel married entertainment industry executive Peter Sussman in 1996 and divorced him in 1997.[9][41] She married pharmaceutical sales executive Jason Hoppy in March 2010. They have one daughter.[42][43] Frankel separated from Hoppy in December 2012[44] and filed for divorce in January 2013.[45] A custody agreement was finalized in June 2014, but property division negotiations were still ongoing.[46] The divorce was finalized in July 2016, nearly four years after the couple separated.[47] In December 2017, she sued for full custody of their daughter.[48] In August 2019, Page Six revealed that Frankel and Hoppy are still legally married.[1]

Frankel has a severe fish allergy and was hospitalized in December 2018 after consuming soup that contained fish. She was hospitalized at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts.[49] 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.[50]

Filmography

As herself

Year Title Notes Ref.
2005 The Apprentice: Martha Stewart 13 episodes, runner-up, came in 2nd place
2008–10,
2015–19
The Real Housewives of New York City Main cast; Seasons 1–3, 7–11
2009 Z Rock 1 episode, "I Wanna Be Z-dated" as Joey's love interest/Chief
2010–12 Chelsea Lately Various episodes, celebrity guest
2010 Skating with the Stars 6 episodes, runner-up, came in 2nd place
2010–15 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Various episodes, celebrity guest
2010–12 Bethenny Ever After
2013–14 Bethenny Talk show host
2016, 2018 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Guest; Season 6 and 8
2016 Beat Bobby Flay 1 episode, "Comforts of Home" as Guest Judge (season 10)
2017 Million Dollar Listing New York Guest (season 6, episode 3)
2017–19 Shark Tank Guest Shark; 5 episodes: Seasons 9 and 10
2017 Bethenny & Fredrik Main role
2018 Bar Rescue 1 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. ^ a b Marsh, Julia (August 23, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy are still legally married". Page Six. New York Post.
  2. ^ "Bethenny Frankel". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d McNeil, Liz (July 19, 2010). "Bethenny Frankel: Love Saved My Life". People. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  4. ^ New York Daily News: "'Real Housewives of New York City' star Bethenny Frankel and husband Jason Hoppy separating" By Bill Hutchinson December 23, 2012
  5. ^ "After Show: All About Baby". bravotv.com. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  6. ^ 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.",
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ Pinecrest Alumni newsletter Archived September 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 12, 2012
  9. ^ a b "Bethenny Frankel". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  10. ^ http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2011/10/13/bethenny-frankels-skinnygirl-deal-the-numbers-still-hold-up/
  11. ^ http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html
  12. ^ "Bethenny Frankel Shares Photo From 'Saved By The Bell' Set". Huffingtonpost.com. June 26, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  13. ^ http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html
  14. ^ http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html
  15. ^ http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html
  16. ^ Jacki Garfinkel (24 August 2006). "Bethenny Frankel: A Reality Star One Year Later". Media Village. Archived from the original on 2006-10-23. Retrieved 29 July 2017. Interview with Bethenny Frankel of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
  17. ^ Martha Stewart selects Dawna Stone as her 'The Apprentice' winner Reality TV World
  18. ^ http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/celebrity-100-11-bethenny-frankel-skinnygirl-bravo-money-makers_2.html
  19. ^ Huguenin, Patrick (January 14, 2008). "Bravo spinoff 'Real Housewives of New York City' debuts in March". Daily News. New York.
  20. ^ "Ratings: Bethenny Getting Married? the Most-Watched Series Debut in Bravo History". TVGuide.com.
  21. ^ "Bethenny Frankel Leaving Real Housewives of New York City?". National Ledger. June 20, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  22. ^ "Bethenny Frankel: I'm Leaving 'The Real Housewives of New York City'". CBS News. September 2, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  23. ^ Rayford Rubenstein, Janine (October 20, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel Is Returning to Real Housewives of New York City". People. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  24. ^ Sieczkowski, Cavan (March 2, 2015). "Bethenny Frankel Returns To 'Real Housewives Of New York City'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  25. ^ Harnick, Chris (November 28, 2011). "Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show Fails to Find Syndicated Home". The Huffington Post.
  26. ^ Albiniak, Paige (January 24, 2012). "Bethenny to Air in Summer Test on Fox". Broadcasting & Cable.
  27. ^ Downey, Kevin (July 6, 2012). "Fox Stations Set To Give OK To Bethenny". TVNewsCheck.
  28. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 3, 2013). "'Bethenny', Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show, to Premiere in National Syndication September 9". TV by the Numbers.
  29. ^ "Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show Has Been Canceled". people.com. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  30. ^ "Bethenny Frankel's Tips on Staying Slim, Sexy, and Fabulous".
  31. ^ Unknown Author Skinnydipping World Cat, accessed December 18, 2012
  32. ^ Frankel, Bethenny; Adamson, Eve (29 July 2017). "Skinnydipping". Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 29 July 2017 – via Open WorldCat.
  33. ^ "Bethenny Frankel". Beauty Interviews. September 1, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  34. ^ http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2011/10/13/bethenny-frankels-skinnygirl-deal-the-numbers-still-hold-up/
  35. ^ "Forbes Magazine Looking Into Bethenny Frankel's Financials". Huffington Post. New York. October 13, 2011.
  36. ^ "Bethenny Frankel on Skinnygirl Sale". Today Show – MSNBC. New York. October 17, 2011. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012.
  37. ^ "American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Linking Policy". www.heart.org. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  38. ^ a b Smithfield Foods. "news release : Skinnygirl Founder & Reality TV Star, Bethenny Frankel Makes Lunch More Fabulous With Cincinnati Launch of Skinnygirl Market Fresh Deli". GlobeNewswire. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  39. ^ "Bethenny Frankel Says Late Boyfriend Dennis Shields Helps Inspire Her Hurricane Florence Relief". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  40. ^ Hall, Katy (December 15, 2009). "Bethenny Frankel: Nude For PETA". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  41. ^ Everett, Cristina (June 9, 2010). "Bethenny Frankel reveals secret first marriage to Peter Sussman". New York Daily News.
  42. ^ "Bethenny Frankel in Size-4 Bikini 3 Weeks After Baby! Go Bethenny!". Us Weekly. June 2, 2010 – via usmagazine.com.
  43. ^ Carpentier, Fran (July 12, 2010). "Parade Magazine interview with Bethenny Frankel: "Bethenny Frankel: 'My Mother Hasn't Expressed Any Interest in Meeting Bryn'"". Parade.
  44. ^ Billups, Andrea; McNeil, Liz (December 23, 2012). "Bethenny Frankel & Jason Hoppy Split Up". People.
  45. ^ Michaud, Sarah (January 5, 2013). "Bethenny Frankel Divorcing Jason Hoppy". People.
  46. ^ Blumm, K. c. (June 4, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy's Custody Case Settled". People.
  47. ^ McNeil, Liz; Corinthos, Aurelie (July 18, 2016). "Bethenny Frankel Settles Nearly 4-Year Divorce Battle with Ex Jason Hoppy". People. United States: Time Inc.
  48. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie (December 12, 2017). "Bethany Frankel suing ex-husband for full custody of daughter, however no decision has been forthcoming". People.
  49. ^ Merrett, Robyn; McNeil, Liz (December 17, 2018). "Bethenny Frankel Suffers a Near-Fatal Allergic Reaction to Fish: 'I Thought I Had a Stroke'". People.
  50. ^ Roberts, Madison (January 24, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Had Another Health Scare After Fish Is Slated to Be Served on Her Flight. Again". People.