Bethenny Frankel reveals insane amount of money she makes in brand deals each year

Bethenny Frankel has turned reality TV fame into a money-making machine, revealing just how much she rakes in from social media brand deals alone.  

The 55-year-old star built her fortune with a savvy mix of entrepreneurship and television, launching the Skinnygirl lifestyle brand while dominating Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City. 

After debuting the low-calorie pre-packaged margarita Skinnygirl in 2009, the cocktail took off so fast that Beam Global snapped it up in 2011 for a reported $120 million. 

Frankel kept the rights to the Skinnygirl name, transforming it into a global empire spanning shapewear, apparel and cookware, while also scoring big with early investments in companies like Cameo and lucrative real estate flips. 

Just when fans thought they’d seen it all, Frankel - reportedly worth $80 million - revealed on Tuesday’s Aspire with Emma Grede podcast the staggering money she earns from her influencer contracts. 

‘It’s tens of millions of dollars,’ Frankel admitted. ‘[This is] not including my other businesses, my real estate, my licensing. We’re talking, like, $20-plus million.'

‘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,’ she said.

She continued, ‘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.’

The business mogul made it clear she only backs products she actually uses herself.

‘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’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.’

Over the years, Frankel has racked up partnerships with everything from high-end beauty brands to everyday drugstore favorites, and she brings them to life on TikTok, where fans can’t get enough of her frank product reviews.  

‘If there’s an ingredient that I need to mention because it should be mentioned, of course, you’re going to do it,’ she told Grede. ‘You shouldn’t be coming to me to read a boring script. That’s not what I’m here for.’

Frankel also explained that her content resonates across generations.

‘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.’

She even hinted at a potential 'Bethenny seal' for products she endorses. 

‘The Bethenny seal is something we’re talking about. Retailers are going to have sections with my stuff,’ she said. ‘And, like I said, the equity deals that I’ve interested in … of things that I’m passionate about.’

Back in 2022, Frankel got even more candid about how she built her fortune from scratch, despite having no early ties to the world of business.

‘I’m not an entrepreneur by birth. I didn’t even know what the word meant, or what all the branding and labels were around it,’ she told Thought Economics. 

‘I didn’t know everything I was going to be. I know that sounds like a cliché… but what’s not a cliché is that I’ve gone one step at a time… set goals… broken barriers… pushed through.

'When nine people say no, I say yes and make it happen. I just keep going.’

She added, ‘I know I’m successful because I’ve set goals, achieved goals, broken barriers, been a game changer, and been first in so many fields in a non-traditional way. 

'Each individual win is a success, and you develop a lot of trust with those close to you, but you also develop a thick skin. You realize that you can do something unpopular, and it won’t be the ruination of you… one good or bad decision won’t define you. 

'It’s the layering and texturing of institutional knowledge that you pick-up along the way that helps you moving forward.’ 

She also reflected on her start in the liquor world: ‘I didn’t know anything about the liquor business when I got started. I didn’t know I would be the first woman to create a low-calorie margarita. I didn’t know I was creating a new ready-to-drink category (which you see everywhere today with sub-100-calorie ready to drink). 

'I didn’t know that you didn’t do signings at liquor stores. I didn’t know that wasn’t a thing! Ignorance - as they say - was bliss.'