Betty Frankel is a well-known American TV presenter and writer. She founded the famous alcoholic company SkinnyGirl Cocktails. Betty repeatedly participated in various television shows and created her own show Bethenny. Read more about Betty Frankel’s career and other interesting facts on Queenska.
Childhood years
Betty was born on November 4, 1970 in Queens. Betty’s father, Birk, was a prominent horseback riding coach and her mother was an interior designer. Her childhood was quite challenging, as her parents divorced when she was 4 years old. After the divorce, the father stopped helping the family with money, which led to financial difficulties.
A year later, her mother remarried to horse trainer John Parisella, which was a big shock for Betty. The man had a difficult personality and treated the girl and her mother badly. Because of this, Betty’s mother began to drink alcohol frequently and get depressed.
Financial problems caused Betty to start working for her father at his stable. She worked hard on the farm with the horses and went to school. In 1980, she entered the Pine Crest boarding school. In 1988, she graduated with honors.
Then the girl entered New York University, where she studied psychology and communications. After graduating in 1990, she moved to Los Angeles and began acting there.
Career successes
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, she started auditioning for film and television roles. Soon she faced setbacks in her life. After a long job search, she got a job as an assistant on the set of the sitcom Saved by the Bell. When filming ended, she was left with no job and no money again.
In order to make a dignified life in Los Angeles, she started working part-time at simple jobs. One day, Betty got a job as a nanny looking after Paris Hilton, who was a teenager at the time.
Later, Betty finds a permanent job and starts working as a personal assistant to the outstanding producer Jerry Bruckheimer. She is paid a decent amount for her work.
Thanks to her steady income, she began doing business. In late 1990, she organized parties. The business did not bring success. Tired of failures, Betty decides to study. In 2002, she enrolled in New York University as a culinary major.
After completing her education, the woman opens Bethenny Bakes, a company that produces healthy cookies and caters to luxury parties. Unfortunately, the company fails miserably, plunging Betty into debt. Nevertheless, the project helped her pave the way on the American scene.
In 2005, Betty was one of the participants in the reality show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. At the end of the show, she emerged as a finalist. This participation played an essential role in her future career because Betty was invited to other TV shows. In 2008, she became the most popular contestant on The Real Housewives of New York City.
Soon, Frankel gained popularity in the United States, and the show Betty Getting Married brought her great success. The premiere, which took place in 2010, received high ratings and was a hit among viewers.
Taking advantage of her image, she wrote the book Naturally Thin. This book became a big bestseller, after which Betty published three more books.
In 2011, Frankel came up with her most profitable project yet. She founded SkinnyGirl Cocktails. The company produced luxury alcoholic beverages. Betty quickly expanded the brand and started selling body-shaping accessories and clothing.
In 2013, she began hosting her own talk show, Bethenny. Betty Frankel continues to write books and participate in TV shows.