Bethenny Frankel Is No Longer a Real Housewife but Hasn't Walked Away From Reality TV

Reality television star Bethenny Frankel is most known for her stint on Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City. She quickly became a fan favorite in Season 1 for her blunt personality and her go-getter attitude. However, the Skinnygirl CEO got her first start on NBC's The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, produced by Mark Burnett. Bethany would go on to win runner-up on the reality game show in 2005.

After Season 3 of RHONY, Bethenny left and went on to film another show centered around her new life as a mother and a wife and then returned as a housewife in Season 7. Upon coming back to the series, she was newly divorced and became an essential part of the franchise until Season 10. Bethenny did not return to the Bravo franchise for Season 11 and decided to create a fresh start outside of Bravo.

It seems like Bethenny couldn't stay away from reality television and has teamed up with Mark Burnett again, who's producing her new show The Big Shot with Bethenny, which will stream on HBO Max. The series will follow Bethenny as a group of people compete to be the next vice president of operations for Skinnygirl. Over the years, the business mogul has become quite wealthy in her own right. So, how did she make all her money? Keep reading to find out how she went from debt to millions.

For the first season of The Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Frankel only earned $7,250, but she was able to keep complete control of her brand. She was smart to stray away from the contract she was supposed to sign that gave the network part of the brand in exchange for exposure. Bethenny also refused to sign the part in her contract that stated she would have to provide Bravo with a percentage of all profits earned from businesses she promoted while on the show. 

The promotion of Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Cocktails on RHONY became a total success, and in 2011, she sold the line to Beam Global for a whopping $120 million. When she sold her low-calorie cocktail company, she was wise enough to maintain the right to license the brand name for other products. This move allowed Bethenny to profit from a budding line of Skinnygirl spinoffs that have also made her money.

Some of her Skinnygirl spinoff products include snacks like popcorn, seltzers, jeans, and supplements. In addition to her Skinnygirl Cocktails, she has also published several books, like Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life, and Skinnydipping, to name a few.

Bethenny has also made some of her money flipping numerous multi-million-dollar pads. 

Town & Country reports that in 2020, she sold a loft in SoHo for $3.65 million and her sprawling Hamptons property for $2.28 million, and five years ago, she sold a penthouse for $6.95 million in Tribecca, according to Curbed. Celebrity Net Worth reports that Bethenny is currently worth $70 million. We're sure that amount will be higher before the year is out, now that she has her own reality competition show.  

The Big Shot with Bethenny premieres on HBO Max April 29.