What Is Bethenny Frankel’s Net Worth?
An American entrepreneur and reality television personality, Bethenny Frankel boasts a net worth of $80 million. She rose to prominence as one of the inaugural cast members of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” Her genuine demeanor and quick wit distinguished her in the realm of reality TV, and she quickly captured the audience’s affection. However, beyond her on-screen persona, Frankel is recognized as a skilled businesswoman.
In addition to her television fame, Bethenny has accumulated wealth through a range of business endeavors. A significant portion of her current wealth originated from the sale of her Skinnygirl cocktail brand. Initially launched as a line of low-calorie cocktails, the Skinnygirl brand has broadened to encompass an array of products, including snacks and clothing. The success of Skinnygirl culminated in its acquisition by Beam Global in 2011 for approximately $100 million, though Frankel maintained rights to the Skinnygirl name in specific product categories.
In recent years, she has also thrived as a home renovator and flipper, YouTuber, author of four self-help books, and host of various podcasts. Additionally, she reaped a seven-figure gain from a strategic early investment in the celebrity greeting app, Cameo.
Cameo Investment
By 2021, with the COVID pandemic propelling Cameo’s popularity, the company secured $100 million at a $1 billion valuation. Sensing that the app had reached its peak, Bethenny opted to sell her shares during this funding round, reportedly earning a “seven-figure” payout from the transaction.
Early Life
On November 4, 1970, Bethenny Frankel was born in New York City. Her father, Robert J. Frankel, worked as a horse trainer, while her mother, Bernadette Birk, pursued a career in interior design. After her father left when she was just four, her mother remarried horse trainer John Parisella when Bethenny turned five. Her formative years were marked by upheaval, with Frankel frequently moving and changing schools until she eventually attended boarding school. She completed her education at the Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before studying at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City, spending two years at Boston University, and ultimately graduating from New York University with a degree in psychology and communications.
Career Beginnings
Aiming to become an actress, Frankel relocated to Los Angeles in 1992. She cultivated connections through minor acting gigs and jobs, such as nannying for Paris Hilton and serving as a personal assistant to the Bruckheimers, which she utilized to launch her first business, an event-planning venture named In Any Event, although it proved short-lived.
Reality Shows
In 2003, Frankel established BethennyBakes, a company that provided ‘healthy’ baked goods and meal delivery services in New York City. Her business gained visibility when it appeared on “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” in 2005, where she emerged as one of the finalists. Though BethennyBakes ceased operations in 2006, her participation in the reality competition marked the onset of Frankel’s reality television career.
In 2008, Bethenny joined the cast of the reality show “The
After departing from “Real Housewives of New York City” in September 2010 for personal reasons, she made a comeback to the franchise in 2014 after a break of three seasons. However, in August 2019, she exited the show again, expressing her wish to concentrate on her personal life.
During her time with her then-partner Jason Hoppy, Frankel appeared on the Bravo reality series “Bethenny Getting Married?,” which showcased their engagement, wedding, and the arrival of their daughter. Following negotiations that started in 2011, she eventually secured her own talk show. “The Bethenny Show” premiered on September 9, 2013, but it was short-lived and was canceled by February 14, 2014. In 2021, she launched a new show titled “The Big Shot with Bethenny.” Throughout the years, she has made guest appearances on programs such as “Shark Tank,” “Bar Rescue,” and “Beat Bobby Flay.”
Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty
Skinnygirl Earnings
The majority of Frankel’s net worth has been derived from her role as the founder and CEO of Skinnygirl Cocktails. Her brand has produced numerous books and DVDs, such as “Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting” (2009), “The SkinnyGirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life” (2009), “A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life” (2011), the novel “Skinnydipping” (2012), “Skinnygirl Solutions: Simple Ideas, Extraordinary Results” (2014), “Cookie Meets Peanut” (2014), “Skinnygirl Cocktails: 100 Fabulous and Flirty Cocktail Recipes and Party Foods for Any Occasion, Without the Guilt” (2014), and “I Suck at Relationships So You Don’t Have To: 10 Rules for Not Screwing Up Your Happily Ever After” (2016).
A significant financial gain occurred when Bethenny sold her line of alcoholic drinks to Fortune Brands’ Beam Global in 2011, which is now integrated into Suntory. Reports initially suggested that Frankel’s Skinnygirl drink company was acquired for $120 million.
However, upon reviewing Beam Global’s SEC filings, it becomes evident that the actual value of the deal ranged from a minimum of $39 million to a potential maximum of $64 million. Beam also allocated $25 million in incentives for Frankel, contingent on the brand’s future performance. A setback in sales transpired in August 2011 when Skinnygirl was taken off Whole Foods’ shelves, following controversy over preservatives, despite its marketing as preservative-free. An extensive analysis of her Skinnygirl deal can be found in the article on CelebrityNetWorth titled: How Much Money Did Bethenny Frankel Make Selling Skinnygirl Cocktails?
Additionally, she has introduced other products under the Skinnygirl label, including Skinnygirl Market Fresh Deli, a pre-packaged lunch meat line endorsed by the American Heart Association for its lower sodium and fat content.
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Personal Life
In 1996, Frankel married entertainment executive Peter Sussman, only to divorce him a year later in 1997. Her second marriage was to pharmaceutical sales executive Jason Hoppy, which was featured in the show “Bethenny Getting Married?” They were wed in March 2010, separated in December 2012, and Frankel initiated divorce proceedings in January 2013. A custody agreement was completed in June 2014, and a financial settlement followed in July 2016. The couple finalized their divorce in January 2021, sharing one daughter together.
In 2021, Bethenny became engaged to film producer Paul Bernon; however, they ended their relationship in 2024.
In 2022, Frankel took legal action against TikTok, alleging that her likeness was being misused in scam advertisements.
Real Estate
Bethenny has made quite a few notable transactions involving impressive properties across New York City, Greenwich, Connecticut, and the Hamptons over the years. Here’s a summary of her most significant buys and sells:
In 2011, she acquired a loft in Tribeca, NYC, for $4.995 million. Reports indicated that her renovations cost around $500,000. The property was listed for sale in 2016 at $6.95 million and was sold in just one day at the full asking price.
She purchased a home in Bridgehampton for $2 million in 2013 and later bought the neighboring house for $650,000. In September 2024, Frankel placed the combined 1.4-acre property on the market for $6 million.
A two-bedroom condo on Mercer Street in New York City was acquired by Bethenny in 2014 for $4.2 million, where she undertook significant renovations. She initially tried to sell the condo in 2016 for $5.25 million but ultimately accepted $3.65 million in 2020.
In the Hamptons, Bethenny bought a second property in 2017 for $2 million and sold it in 2020 for $2.3 million.
That same year, she spent $4.2 million on a four-bedroom condo in SoHo, NYC, which she completely renovated. By December 2021, the condo was listed for just under $7 million. Here’s a video tour of this condo:
In 2019, to be closer to her fiancé Paul Bernon, Bethenny purchased a home in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.
In 2020, she bought a Greenwich, Connecticut home for $2.1 million, which she sold mid-year for $3.3 million. Additionally, she acquired another property in Greenwich for $1.8 million, completing major renovations before selling it a year later for $3.5 million.
At the start of 2021, she acquired a mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, for $4.5 million.
Most recently, in October 2023, Bethenny purchased a home in Southampton for $5.45 million.