Bethenny Frankel Age & Biography

Bethenny Frankel is 56 years old and was born on November 4, 1970, in Queens, New York. The American entrepreneur, television personality, philanthropist and author first gained fame on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City (2008-2010, 2015-2019), and in 2009 she founded Skinnygirl, the lifestyle brand whose cocktail line sold to Beam Global for a reported $120 million in 2011. Forbes reported the success of Skinnygirl earned Frankel $55 million by May 2011, and she ranked at #42 on the annual Forbes Celebrity 100.

Quick Facts

Full Name	Bethenny Frankel
Age	56 years old
Date of Birth	November 4, 1970
Birthplace	Queens, New York, United States
Education	Boston University; New York University (BA); Natural Gourmet Institute
Occupation	Entrepreneur, television personality, philanthropist, author
Known For	The Real Housewives of New York City; Skinnygirl; BStrong
Years Active	1993-present

Who Is Bethenny Frankel?

Bethenny Frankel (born November 4, 1970) is an American entrepreneur, television personality, philanthropist, and author. After appearing on the NBC reality competition series The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005, where she was the runner-up, Frankel increased her profile on the Bravo reality series The Real Housewives of New York City (2008-2010, 2015-2019).

Frankel propelled her fame in 2009 when she founded Skinnygirl, a lifestyle brand. Her spin-off series Bethenny Ever After aired three seasons from 2010 to 2012, and Bethenny & Fredrik aired one season in 2018. She also headlined the Fox daytime talk show Bethenny (2013-2014) and the HBO Max reality competition series The Big Shot with Bethenny (2021). She also founded BStrong, a philanthropic organization that has provided disaster relief.

Early Life & Background

Frankel is the only child of Robert J. Frankel, a horse trainer, and Bernadette (Verderosa) Birk, an interior designer and college professor. Her father was German Jewish, whereas her mother was Italian Catholic and converted to Judaism. Her parents divorced when Frankel was four years old. One year later, her mother married horse trainer John Parisella and Bethenny was raised Roman Catholic. Frankel describes her childhood as difficult.

Frankel originally grew up in Forest Hills, New York, but moved many times and attended multiple schools before attending boarding school. She graduated in 1988 from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She attended Boston University for two years, and graduated with a degree in psychology and communications from New York University.

Career

In 1992, Frankel moved to Los Angeles with hopes of being an actress. While she landed some small acting roles, she worked as an assistant to Kathy Hilton, sometimes taking her daughters Paris and Nicki out for ice cream or picking them up from school. She also worked as a production assistant on the set of Saved by the Bell. Frankel used these connections to start her first company, called In Any Event, a party-planning business. Her next entrepreneurial enterprise was Princess Pashmina, a business selling pashmina scarves she bought wholesale from an Indian manufacturer.

Frankel began her career as a natural food chef in 2001, later enrolling at the Natural Gourmet Institute. In 2003, Frankel started BethennyBakes, a baking business that made egg-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free baked goods. She competed on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005, in which Frankel was the first runner-up to the competition winner. BethennyBakes closed in 2006. In 2011, Frankel became a spokesperson for a low-calorie line of Pepperidge Farms bread.

In 2008, Frankel began starring in The Real Housewives of New York City, which premiered in March on Bravo. In June 2010, Frankel appeared 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 Bryn. In September 2010, Frankel announced her exit from RHONY following its third season. In November, she competed in the reality competition series Skating with the Stars and finished in second place. Frankel rejoined RHONY for its seventh season, which premiered in April 2015, and in August 2019 she announced her departure from the show.

Frankel created a pre-packaged margarita mix line named Skinnygirl Margarita in 2009. Skinnygirl Margarita was sold nationwide by April 2010, and landed Frankel a spot on Forbes’ “10 Reality Stars Turned Entrepreneurs” list. This was the foundation product for Skinnygirl Cocktails. The cocktail line was sold to Beam Global for a reported $120 million in 2011. According to Forbes, Skinnygirl’s success earned Frankel $55 million by May 2011, leading her to become the cover of the Forbes Celebrity 100 issue of that year, where she ranked at #42. Frankel kept the Skinnygirl brand name to sell a variety of foods including dips, shakes, candy, deli meats and cheeses through the Home Shopping Network.

In March 2009, Frankel’s book, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, was published. The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life was published in December of the same year. In spring 2010, she released an exercise DVD, Body by Bethenny, and an audiobook, The Skinnygirl Rules, which summarized her two prior books. In 2011, Frankel published A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life. In December 2012, she published a novel, Skinnydipping. She published five additional books including a children’s book and additional self-help books.

Frankel is the founder of BStrong, a philanthropic arm originally formed to assist women, which has provided disaster relief around the world. In 2017, the organization raised $300,000 in donations and supplies for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, and Frankel traveled to Mexico City following the Puebla earthquake, raising $150,000 for recovery efforts. Also in 2017, Frankel chartered four planes to Puerto Rico and distributed medical supplies, food, water, and hygiene products in assisting with Hurricane Maria relief efforts. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Frankel supported Ukraine by supplying 100,000 relief kits, equaling $10 million in aid, and raising $20 million in donations. In 2025, Frankel, with BStrong, supported the victims of the Southern California wildfires with cash cards of $1,500 to help victims with hotel housing.

Facts About Bethenny Frankel

• She was the runner-up on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005.
• Her Skinnygirl cocktail line sold to Beam Global for a reported $120 million in 2011.
• She was a guest judge on Shark Tank during seasons 9 and 10, investing $150,000 for 25% of Snarky Tea with Kevin O’Leary.
• In 2023, she called for reality television personalities to unionize and earn residual-like payments.
• She opened her first cafe, Supermodel Cafe, in East Quogue, New York, in August 2026.

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