From cocktails and reality TV to social media influencing and podcasting, Bethenny Frankel has built up one of the most enviable business empires in entertainment.
So it’s no surprise that the notoriously outspoken mogul, 54, isn’t holding it back when it comes to her thoughts on the success of other celebrities in the business world.
Speaking to Us Weekly recently, Frankel shared her unfiltered opinions on fellow stars like Meghan Markle, Drew Barrymore, and Kelly Clarkson.
She implied that Markle and Prince Harry’s many projects since leaving Buckingham Palace hadn’t ‘landed.’
‘They didn’t want the fame, but they didn’t want to give up the lifestyle, because it’s expensive. Now they’re living in Montecito, and it’s hard for things to land,’ she said.
‘It’s hard to land all of those things, and they wanted to do it in a timely manner because they realized there was a certain window of opportunity, so they made all these different deals. And business is really hard,’ she continued.
‘I respect that relationship and that loyalty to each other, and I just don’t think it’s that easy. If it was so easy, everybody would be good at doing it.’
In recent years, Markle has launched two podcasts, a docuseries on Netflix, a lifestyle show called With Love, Meghan, and a brand featuring jams, wine, and cookie mix.
Bethenny Frankel shared her unfiltered thoughts on fellow stars to Us Weekly, claiming Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s many projects since leaving Buckingham Palace hadn’t ‘landed’
Meanwhile, Harry produced a Netflix reality show about the world of polo and released a tell-all memoir.
Frankel, who now earns millions as a TikTok influencer, also had some choice words for talk show hosts like Clarkson, Barrymore, and Jimmy Kimmel.
‘People are like, “When are you going back on TV?” I’m like, “I am [on TV]. This is it. We’re watching the show right now,”‘ she said of her social media career.
‘I can’t make more money by going and sitting in Jimmy Fallon’s seat, having to go to a studio and do it the way they want, or Kelly Clarkson or Drew Barrymore.
‘I make as much money as they do sitting in my house, in my pajamas. This is my talk show, my thing, and I get to be myself.’
Frankel currently boasts 3.3 million followers on TikTok and over four million on Instagram.
Her videos regularly garner thousands, if not millions, of views, putting her on par with the viewership of The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Frankel’s attention on social media has also led to lucrative endorsement deals for the former reality star, with brands like L’Oreal, Verizon, and Dunkin’ Donuts paying her huge sums to promote their products.
In recent years, Markle has launched two podcasts, a docuseries on Netflix, a lifestyle show called With Love, Meghan, and a brand featuring jams, wine, and cookie mix
Frankel also boasted that she can earn the same amount of money as talk show hosts like Kelly Clarkson just by sitting at home and posting to social media
In 2023, which was her first year working as a full time influencer, Frankel told Business Insider that she made $3.2 million.
The following year, her annual revenue from brand partnerships grew to $7 million, and that’s before factoring in her affiliate earnings and other businesses.
According to Forbes, she makes $400,000 a month alone just from the affiliate marketing site ShopMy.
Meanwhile, experts recently told DailyMail.com that Meghan and Harry’s new Netflix deal is a huge ‘downgrade’ for the couple.
The couple signed a new ‘multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects’ with the streaming giant – understood to be worth less for the pair than their previous contract.
The ‘first-look’ arrangement means Netflix can say yes or no to new film or television projects before anyone else – allowing them to pick and choose what they invest in.
PR expert Mark Borkowski described the new deal as a ‘downgrade,’ claiming it falls a long way from the jackpot figure of Harry and Meghan’s original contract in 2020.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘I think Netflix has done a very neat job of pivoting away from two very expensive people who didn’t deliver, and they’ve taken that deal off the table, and they’ve given them a modest one.
‘It’s not like they’re gradually uncoupling – it’s a downgrade. Netflix are not going to expose themselves to those budgets again.
‘It’s Netflix saying, “Let’s have a look at your content, but we’ll pick and choose, mate.”‘
He believes the pair will be paid for each production selected by Netflix rather than receiving an overall fee, such as the reported $100 million of their first deal.