Bethenny Frankel

Background

Bethenny Frankel is a television personality from the U.S. She is of mixed Ashkenazi Jewish and Welsh ancestry and holds an American nationality. Her parents are Robert J. Frankel and Bernadette Birk. Her father is a horse trainer while her mother was an interior designer. When Frankel was four years old, her father left her mother, who remarried John Parisella. Her mother being drunk and frequently arguing violently with her stepfather caused her to have a difficult childhood. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Communication.

Frankel worked a variety of odd jobs before launching her career. She moved to Los Angeles in 1992, intending to become an actress. She worked as Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer’s assistant. Then, on the set of “Saved by the Bell,” Frankel worked as a production assistant. In 2005, she finished as a runner-up on “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Frankel also featured in “The Real Housewives of New York City” for eight of the 13 seasons of the television series. Further, she has starred in several of her shows, including the spin-offs “Bethenny Ever After” from 2010 to 2012, “Bethenny & Fredrik” in 2018, Fox’s daytime talk show “Bethenny” from 2013 to 2014, and the H.B.O. Max reality competition series “The Big Shot with Bethenny” in 2021. Frankel is also an accomplished author. Her books “Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl,” “Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting,” and “The Skinnygirl Dish” were released in 2009. Frankel is also the founder of the disaster relief organization BStrong.

Frankel got married first in 1996 to an entertainment industry executive, Peter Sussman, and they divorced in 1997. She then married Jason Hoppy in March 2010 and has a daughter with him named Bryn Hoppy. In 2012, the couple separated, only finalizing their divorce in January 2021. Frankel is currently engaged to Paul Bernon, a real estate executive and film producer from the U.S.