Bethenny Frankel Moves to Sell Part of Skinnygirl on RHONY

Bridgehampton’s Bethenny Frankel made a potentially game-changing move on this past week’s episode of The Real Housewives of New York City Season 11.

Citing her busy life and too many responsibilities, Frankel took steps to sell part of Skinnygirl, her highly successful lifestyle brand founded in 2009. Frankel would maintain creative control and remain the face of the business, but allow some of the minutiae and corporate side of things to be handled by someone else.

“I don’t have time to drink water,” Frankel said on the show. “I want to get off this. I need a break…I’m realizing, I’m taking on too much and I’m burnt. We need to let some air out of the tires. I need some support and help. It’s all been too much. I can’t breathe.”

People reports that Frankel originally sold Skinnygirl Cocktails to Fortune Brands’ Beam Global in 2011 for $100 million. She kept ownership of the Skinnygirl name and has since expanded the brand to include clothing, food, beauty products and more.

During this week’s RHONY, Frankel met with Bernt Ullmann of BB Endeavors to discuss a potential sale. People reports that while she’s had offers, no decisions have been made yet. “Bethenny has been approached with numerous lucrative offers as a result of the success of the brand,” a source tells People. “She owns 100 percent of the Skinnygirl intellectual property, outside of cocktails. She is still reviewing offers, but they have to align with her vision for the future of the brand before entertaining making any moves.”

Frankel has had an eventful few years. She went through a bitter divorce battle with Jason Hoppy that ended in 2016. In 2018, her ex Dennis Shields died. She has one daughter, Bryn, who is 8 years old.

The Real Housewives of New York City airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.