Bethenny Frankel was struggling to pay her rent. Then she landed a $100 million deal.
Published on Mamamia
March 7, 2024
$8,000.
It was the sum total of Bethenny Frankel's bank account when she arrived on to our screens in 2008 on season one of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York (RHONY).
Unlike her Upper East Side counterparts, Bethenny was the underdog: she was in her late 30s and unmarried *gasp*, armed only with a quick wit, sharp tongue and big ambition – yet struggling to pay rent on her tiny apartment.
"It wasn't like I was starving, but I couldn't afford to do anything... A taxi was a luxury," she reflects with Mamamia.
It's a far cry from the Hamptons home – just one of the properties she now owns – from where she speaks over Zoom, ahead of her Australian speaking tour next week.
Recalling the anxiety of living between bounced cheques and "insufficient funds" each month, Bethenny says, "It was my age, combined with the lack of money, and I wasn't on a clear path that was taking me somewhere."
"I don't have family, so who is going to take care of me? I had no backup plan.
"I had no safety net."