Sad Details About Bethenny Frankel

Before Bethenny Frankel had her stunning transformation into a "Real Housewives of New York" star, she had to endure financial struggles. In 2023, the Skinnygirl founder took to Instagram to share that she was unable to live comfortably until she was well into her 30s. Frankel recalled that before she landed the reality TV show, she was knee-deep in credit card debt and down to $8,000, which barely covered the cost of living in New York at the time. 

As a result, Frankel found herself worrying about every little expense and jumping through hoops to save money in every way possible. Unfortunately, Frankel made a shockingly low amount for the first season of RHONY, so her financial situation didn't improve much. However, as the seasons went by, her paychecks only increased, and she eventually built the Skinnygirl empire. Then, in 2011, the wildly successful company was hit with a $10 million lawsuit for allegedly falsely claiming that their Skinnygirl Margaritas were made of "100 percent blue agave tequila," per New York Post. 

In the filings, consumers Christopher Rapcinsky and Erin Baker alleged that the drink contained "a lower quality and purity tequila by-product called mixto," which was generally mixed with inorganic ingredients. Soon after, The Hollywood Reporter shared that Frankel's ex-managers had sued her for $100 million for cutting them out of a deal surrounding her company. She settled with her managers in 2012, per THR. Ultimately, though, the lawsuits only scratch the surface of everything Frankel has been through.

Bethenny Frankel has always been candid about the fact that she has shared a rocky relationship with her mother Bernadette Birk. In her book, "A Place of Yes," the reality TV star shared that her mother never fostered a healthy environment for her to grow up in. She also admitted that Birk's moods ran hot and cold, and she could never quite ascertain if she would get a loving confidant or an angry mother in the next moment. 

Frankel shared that Birk reacted negatively to finding out she was going to be a guest judge on "Shark Tank," recalling her mother's words, "She is a moron," she wrote, per The Sun. "She got very lucky, and she just knows how to surround herself with people who are intelligent. Bethenny is a liar and a shark. She ran through my guts. She will get along with the other sharks." During a 2017 episode of "The Real Housewives of New York," Frankel shared that she had gone 15 years without speaking to her mother when her daughter Bryn inquired about her grandparents. So, she had reached out to her mom with the intention of helping her daughter meet her. 

In April 2024, Frankel took to Instagram to share that she had lost her mother to lung cancer. Frankel's carousel featured several sweet photos of her mother, including one of her with Bryn. The heartfelt caption saw Frankel detail the highs and lows of their relationship and happily share that they had reconciled.

In August 2018, Bethenny Frankel lost her partner Dennis Shields, who had been a part of her life for nearly two decades. Although his cause of death was never officially confirmed, authorities believed it was due to an accidental overdose. Shortly after news of his death broke, Frankel posted an Instagram tribute to him, featuring a photo of him lying in bed with her dog. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the "Real Housewives of New York" alum shared that Shields' daughter had broken the news to her and she had "started screaming" after the revelation. 

The reality TV star shared that her young daughter was affected by his death as well, so Frankel let her send him an emotional text message. During an episode of RHONY, Frankel got emotional as she thought back to her late partner's funeral. "It's different for me than for his ex-wife, who has to deal with the morgue and the bills and the kids and all of this other stuff," she admitted, per People. 

"I had to figure out where my place was at the funeral. I didn't want to intrude. I didn't feel like I had an identity in any of it." In another clip shared by Bravo, Frankel confessed that although Shields was a pillar of support in her life and her daughter adored him, she wanted to end things with him shortly before his passing. The entrepreneur also shared that she felt tremendously guilty in the aftermath because his death freed her from their union.

Speaking to Health in 2013, Bethenny Frankel admitted, "I grew up eating quality food but in a very obsessive household about being thin and eating disorders" (via E! News). "Food was an obsession in my house — out to restaurants every night — but then so was dieting." During her appearance on "FORTUNE Unfiltered with Aaron Task," Frankel revealed that her family never stocked up on fat-rich food and heavily focused on diets. 

She also noted that her mom made her go to an obesity clinic when she was only 8 years old. Meanwhile, in a 2011 chat with Us Weekly, she recalled how she was already doing Jane Fonda's workouts when she was in the seventh grade. Further, in an episode of her talk show "Bethenny," she confessed that she had developed an unhealthy relationship with food and would label it as "good" or "bad." Frankel's food rules had also caused her to get trapped in a vicious cycle, whereby she would overeat the supposedly "bad" foods and then restrict herself the following day in an attempt to make up for it. 

In her Us Weekly interview, the reality TV star shared that her weight constantly fluctuated because of her binge-restrict cycle and fad dieting. In fact, her obsession with dieting grew to a point where she would purchase magazines for the sole purpose of keeping up with the latest fad diet. Ultimately, though, Frankel learned that balance in a diet was key.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

In 2008, Bethenny Frankel walked into a bar in New York City and met her future husband Jason Hoppy. It evidently didn't take him long to realize that Frankel was the one since he popped the question after less than a year of dating. The couple tied the knot in March 2010, a few months before they welcomed their daughter Bryn Hoppy. Then, in December 2012, Frankel released a statement to announce that they were going their separate ways after about three years of marriage. 

During a 2024 episode of her "Just B Divorced" podcast, the RHONY alum confessed that their union wasn't nearly as great as it seemed. She admitted she wasn't into her hubby from the get-go and coaxed herself into believing she was in the right relationship for someone in their late 30s. Upon further reflection, the Skinnygirl founder realized that she had ignored warning signs in Jason, like his relationship with another reality TV star and his unyielding charm, which she eventually grew tired of. 

While confessing that she wasn't sexually attracted to Jason, she revealed how she felt whenever they had sex, saying, "I used to force myself, gag myself doing it." She even candidly admitted that she had mixed reactions after miscarrying her husband's baby, saying, "'In a constructive way, I said, 'I'm kind of relieved ... because I don't think this is a healthy or positive relationship.'" In response, Hoppy supposedly retorted, "'You're a real piece of s****, you know that?'"

Shortly after announcing their divorce, Jason Hoppy and Bethenny Frankel each sought primary custody over their only child Bryn Hoppy. During a testimony from May 2014, the reality TV star got emotional as she recalled how her ex-husband would deliberately make a mess out of her home to get under her skin, per Us Weekly. He would even supposedly tell their young daughter that her mother was Ursula, the sea witch from "The Little Mermaid." 

Though the couple first came to a financial settlement in 2016, things got complicated the following year after Jason was arrested for allegedly threatening Frankel at Bryn's school. An NYPD spokesperson told Us Weekly that Jason had supposedly reached out to his ex-wife "numerous times via email and FaceTime, and approached victim making verbal threats." Shortly afterward, Jason received a six-month stay-away order from his ex-wife. 

In the aftermath, Frankel demanded full custody of their daughter. Things got even messier after Dennis Shields' passing from a supposed overdose in 2018. The businessman's lawyer claimed that Frankel had potentially endangered her daughter's life by frequently leaving her alone with an alleged drug user like Shields. Ultimately, after tons of back and forth, the estranged couple finalized their divorce in January 2021. During a 2024 episode of the "Just B Divorced" podcast, Frankel admitted, "Nothing will ever be, in my entire life, as torturous as my divorce ... it was by far the worst experience of my life."