Bethenny Frankel then shot back Real Housewives of New Jersey alum My messenger and her daughter, Lexi Ioannouaccused her of not crediting her brand for one of her latest outfits.
“I don’t normally react to things like this, but I think there’s a business lesson here,” insists the 55-year-old Frankel via TikTok on Saturday, May 16th.
The drama began on Friday when Frankel debuted a strapless polka dot sundress and received compliments on her black peep-toe pumps. She then directed her fans to a pair of Bloomingdales ($375) “for the same look.”
Ioannou, 30, later revealed that she had sent the pumps to Bethenny as an advertisement for her own fashion brand Nou.
“Bethenny Frankel is a weirdo,” Ioannou claimed an Instagram video on Friday. “I sent her a pair of shoes from Nou almost a year ago because I look up to her. (She is an) entrepreneur (and from the) Bravo universe like me.”
Ioannou pointed out that Frankel never tagged Nou, even though she wore the pumps in her social media content.
“Okay, that happens, but then today she posted a video that’s going viral and a lot of people are asking where the shoes are (from). Instead of linking them, she linked a scammer with an affiliate link,” Ioannou complained. “I guess she has to get this bag somehow? So she got the shoes for free from a female-founded brand, mine, and then she made money by sending her followers elsewhere.”
Ioannou’s mother Manzo quoted one of Frankel’s iconic lyrics Real Housewives of New York City arguments with Ramona Singer while instructing his followers to buy “the real thing” from Nou.
Bethenny Frankel; Dina Manzo
Getty Images (2); Mike Coppola/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit; Ilya S. Savenok“‘Wow Bethenny Wow!!’ “It’s strange that you post a duplicate of your GIFTED @shopnou shoes instead of recognizing a young entrepreneur,” Manzo wrote on her Instagram Stories on Friday. “You wear them a lot, so we know you like them??”
Frankel later released an “Outfit of the Day” video in which she mentioned Nou. In her TikTok response, Frankel emphasized that her decision to link to another retailer was common practice on social media.
“The shoes were sold out, so we linked to something similar because audiences get frustrated when there’s something they can’t buy,” Frankel explained. “Why should I wear something and talk about it if they can’t buy it?”
She continued: “This owner has decided to release a scathing video of me. Her body, her choice. I have stated multiple times that if you send me anything, I am under no obligation to link, like, use, wear, purchase or tag anything. I can do whatever I want.”
Dolores Catania reflects on Bethenny Frankel’s attacks on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. “I mean, she’s a broken girl. She’s a very broken person,” Catania, 54, said of Frankel, 54, on the Wednesday, March 26, episode of the iHeartRadio podcast “Two Ts in a Pod.” “I remember 14 years ago when this whole thing (…)
Frankel hinted that she was no longer willing to support Ioannou’s brand after being confronted.
“There are about a hundred brands watching this video and telling her how many products I sell,” the former said RHONY star predicted. “How many sprinkle cookies for this?” Melissa Gorgahow many dresses for Ramy Brook, how many jeans for Guess. I move a lot of products because I’m not bullshit.”
The reality TV icon argued that Ioannou’s “whining and crybaby” behavior was a “short game” in the business world.
“That means you’re not a real businessman. You still have a lot to learn,” Frankel quipped. “I would have worn all the shoes on your website and you would have sold thousands of pairs and made hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
She added: “My account. My body. My choice. As soon as you send these shoes to my house, my shoes. You’re welcome!”
Us weekly has reached out to Ioannou’s representative for comment.
