When thinking of one of the first reality TV stars to have made a name for themselves outside of their shows, Bethenny Frankel would be one of the first people to come to viewers’ minds. Bethenny has always been a hustler, and her hustler attitude has helped her evolve in her career. She is known for participating in The Real Housewives of New York City. When she was on the show, she was looking into starting her own company, and it wasn’t until she met up with ex-cast member Luann DeLesepps that an idea sparked in her when she asked for a skinny girl margarita. This term had never been heard, and it was a drink that wasn’t made, so Bethenny made her idea into a brand that went on to build her a multimillion-dollar company. Skinny Girl was the brand that started it all for her and other reality stars to follow.
Even though she was at the peak of her company being one of the greatest, she went through many challenges in her personal life that made her realize she was taking on too much, so in 2011, Bethenny decided to sell her Skinny Girl liquor company to Beam Suntoryfor $100 million. But even though she sold the company, Bethenny, with her hustler mentality, decided to keep the rights of the Skinny Girl brand so she could still release other products under that name.
Bethenny has been very successful since her start, and anything she touches will become the next million-dollar idea. After her time on The Real Housewives of New York City ended, she decided to take this time to herself to focus on her business, her daughter Bryn, and continue her work as a philanthropist. Not only has she been keeping busy with her business ventures, but she has also started a podcast called Just B with Bethenny Frankel, which talks about her life and anything she may find interesting, including business investments.
Aside from becoming a successful podcaster, she has also made a shift in her career by constantly using her social media accounts and becoming an influencer. Bethenny knows what she is talking about and is not afraid to give her opinion, so being an influencer is perfect because she will provide honest opinions on any product. She isn’t stopping there, though, with Lifetime Network recently reaching out to her to become the star of their new drama movie Danger in the Dorm. She is not showing any signs of slowing down, and she talks to Collider all about what is going on in her life now.
Creator(s)Scott Dunlop
How Danger In The Dorm Happened For the Former ‘RHONY’ Star
Bethenny may be known as a reality TV star, but she has tried to get into the acting world by taking acting classes and learning from improv classes. She tells Collider how she could never commit to becoming an actress when she was younger because she felt insecure and self-conscious and didn’t think she was good at it. Lifetime must have seen something in her since they called her to be in their new movie, Danger in the Dorm. “I was shocked to be asked to do it; I said yes, but I was a little bit reluctant,” she tells Collider how she felt when she received the call to be in the movie.
The movie is about a daughter trying to catch the killer of her childhood best friend and her mother trying to protect her from suffering the same fast as her daughter’s friend. To Bethenny’s surprise, she was the one who was contacted to play the lead role of the mother in the movie.
There is an undeniable charm having the original New York ladies back together, but ‘RHONY:Legacy’ proves that the reboot was needed.
When preparing to leave for the movie, Bethenny thought her role would be minimal at first, and it would be a way to attach a critical name to the project. Once she read the script and saw her role in the movie, she said, “I started studying the script, and I was like, what the hell is going on? I’m the star of this movie! Why did they ask me to do this?” She was initially reluctant when she found out she was one of the lead roles and also realized that the movie genre is a drama, which made her nervous but made her gain more respect for actors whenever they prepare for a role.
This new venture may have sparked a new interest in Bethenny’s life in Hollywood, which can open more doors for her. She cannot believe one of her first acting jobs was for a drama movie, but now having one makes her want to try out for a comedy. More specifically, she would love to experience being a part of Saturday Night Live since she has done it all, which would be one she is striving to achieve. “There’s nothing in the world I would rather do than be on Saturday Night Live; that’s the dream.”
Bethenny Frankel Is Killing It As an Influencer
Image by NBC
Bethenny has always had a niche for trying out different products, and as a businesswoman herself, she is not afraid of revealing the truth about various products. One of Bethenny’s most prominent business ventures is her social media game, which she constantly produces and makes much money from. “I recently talked about a body scrub cloth in which they sold 10,000 units in 48 hours, and it wasn’t my most viral post that I have made.” She enjoys this because it has allowed her to post whenever she wants; nobody is telling her what to do, making this much more enjoyable. She has recommended products that have ranged from food, restaurants, beauty products, and random items that bring her joy, and she feels passionate about expressing how she feels about it. “I’m not one of those influencers where they are sitting all day in front of a mirror and looking good; I do what I want.”
She is showing no signs of slowing down. Bethenny’s empire is constantly growing, and fans are lucky to have gotten a first seat at Bethenny’s table thanks to her social media and podcast, Just B with Bethenny Frankel.
Danger in the Dorm premieres on June 16 on Lifetime. Past episodes of The Real Housewives of New York can be streamed on Peacock. Watch the full Collider interview with Bethenny above.