Former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel is revealing just how lucrative her various business dealings are.
“It’s tens of millions of dollars,” Frankel, 55, claimed on the Tuesday, May 19, episode of Emma Grede’s “Aspire” podcast, specifically referring to her brand deals. “[This is] not including my other businesses, my real estate, my licensing. We’re talking, like, $20-plus million.”
As an influencer, Frankel stressed that she only promotes products that she personally believes in without any exclusivity clauses.
“I’m very trusted, and partners come to me for their marketing budgets. Like, multibillion-dollar companies come to me to figure out how they’re going to spend,” she claimed. “[I can talk about] anything I want, and they want that because they know that I’m smart and I’m not going to jeopardize what we’re discussing together and the products that I’ve truthfully loved and endorsed of theirs because I truly love them, which is how we got here.”
Frankel is known for her “brutally honest” product reviews, telling Grede, 43, that she rarely reads from a script in uploads.
“If there’s an ingredient that I need to mention because it should be mentioned, of course, you’re going to do it,” she said. “You shouldn’t be coming to me to read a boring script. That’s not what I’m here for.”
The Skinnygirl founder had long kept her salary details private.
“I have never put the number out there until today,” Frankel said. “I’m not that comfortable with it just because it’ll make people mad at me. … I believe that people shouldn’t work for free. Interns, I pay. I don’t believe in anybody working for free, and if you’re moving product and you’re affecting an outcome, honestly, then I believe you should be compensated. So, I don’t feel guilty about it.”
Frankel further attributes her financial success to her ability to cross demographics, appealing to both teenagers and women over 50.
“I just don’t fit into any singular mold, so people are not understanding what it is because it’s strange that I walk Sports Illustrated with 25-year-olds,” she said. “There’s nobody my age there, but it’s not like they’re giving me the ‘token grandma’ role. It’s landing because moms are saying, ‘Thank you for not disqualifying us as a group.’ I could be alienating moms, but I’m not.”
As for Frankel’s next career steps, she is always thinking about future moves.
“The Bethenny seal is something we’re talking about. Retailers are going to have sections with my stuff,” she teased of dropping a “seal of approval” on certain brands’ offerings. “And, like I said, the equity deals that I’ve interested in … of things that I’m passionate about.”
