Bethenny 'Laying Low' After Emotional Season

The season finale of Bethenny Ever After was Monday night – and now Bethenny Frankel says it's time to take it easy.

"I love the show, I'm proud of it," Frankel told PEOPLE at the National Magazine Awards on Monday. "It's been a very emotional, intense season. But we're starting filming in July for season 3, and I need the hiatus."

She recouped with husband Jason Hoppy at the Viceroy Anguilla for two weeks after filming, she said, and since then has been trying to slow down. "I have really checked out of my own life a lot," the reality star, 40, said. "I'm laying low. I really hit the wall going 90 miles an hour."

Frankel celebrated her daughter Bryn Casey's first birthday a day early at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York Saturday with "a big celebration." Then she had a relaxing Mother's Day, which was exactly what she wanted.

Despite rumors that they might be moving to L.A,, Frankel says her family is staying put for now. "It's an ongoing conversation but I have a business opportunity that will keep me in New York, so I don't think that I can move to L.A."

She and Hoppy plan on spending a relaxing summer in New York exploring their neighborhood.

"We've only lived downtown for a year, so we keep finding new pockets," she said. "Jason and I like to walk around, find new restaurants, sit outside, have sangria or SkinnyGirl margaritas. We just like to venture out. New York is such an amazing place so we like to find new little outdoor cafes to hang out."

Credit: PEOPLE (Asher Fogel)

Bethenny Used Reality TV to Make $120 Million

For a Skinnygirl, Bethenny Frankel has a fat wallet!

The 40-year-old entrepreneur was hesitant to participate in reality TV when Bravo executives approached her in 2007; now, the natural-foods-chef turned mogul tells the Hollywood Reporter it was her screen-time that provided her the platform to launch a $120 million empire.

"I was worried [joining the cast of Real Housewives of New York] would ruin what I had going," says Frankel, who at the time was a Pepperidge Farm spokesperson and appeared on NBC's Today for a cooking segment. "I went on the show single-handedly and exclusively for business… When I went on the show, no one was going on for business, no one had done anything."

Throughout three seasons of Real Housewives, Frankel maximized her screen time and promoted her now-famous Skinnygirl product line. In 2010, she got her own reality show: Bethenny Ever After.

Under her own personal business umbrella, she's launched a successful publishing franchise, a Body by Bethenny workout DVD and her scored one of the most lucrative liquor deals in the industry with her calorie-conscious mixes.

Before her success on reality TV, Frankel's pitches to liquor companies for a low-calorie margarita went unheeded. "Now, every company I pitched this idea to has either tried to buy Skinnygirl or has copied it," she relishes. "I created a sub-category that never existed. I wasn't an expert--I was just another person bothered by a 700-calorie margarita."

Credit: Us Magazine

Bethenny Frankel Gets Her Own Talk Show

In February, Bethenny Frankel told the press that she wanted her own talk show. Now, RumorFix is reporting exclusively that her dream is coming true.

Our staff has learned the star of Bethenny Ever After has just signed a deal with Telepictures, which is the production company behind The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Tyra, Lopez Tonight and Anderson.

Bethenny gained fame as one of the Real Housewives of New York, and quickly became a media darling by starring in her own spinoff TV show, Celebrity Apprentice and Skating with the Stars.

Bethenny's show is currently in development; two months ago, the reality star told Popeater why she wanted a talk show:

"I would like a daytime talk show because my conversation with my fans right now is through social networking, and my TV show communicates what I'm doing, but it isn't really a dialogue or a conversation."

And then she said something very prophetic, "Most of my business wishes come true."

Credit: Rumor Fix

Bethenny Ever After Renewed for Third Season

That was fast: Barely a month after season two of Bethenny Ever After bowed on Bravo, the network is readying another cycle of the series starring Bethenny Frankel.

Vulture has learned a season-three pickup will be announced later today, just in time for the network's upfront presentations to advertisers in New York, Chicago, and L.A.

This makes sense given that the Monday-night series has averaged a healthy 1.4 million viewers since returning February 28 and continues to do well with Bravo's key demo of rich folks under 50 (we're not kidding about the rich part, either; the network even has a name for its target — "affluencers").

No word yet on when season three will air, but the timing of the renewal couldn't be better for Frankel and hubby Jason Hoppy: The duo celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary Monday, an event she told Access Hollywood would be "an all-out sexfest." Awww! How sweet!

Credit: New York Magazine (Vulture)

Bethenny Frankel: I Knew I’d Get My Own Show

Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel had a plan to get her own reality show from the very beginning. So when Jill Zarin introduced Bethenny to the producers at Bravo and they asked her to join the cast of RHONY, Bethenny saw this as the opportunity that she needed. “It was definitely a plan,” Bethenny told Hollywood Life exclusively. “It was definitely something I knew was going to happen. I could see it.”

So when Bethenny joined the cast, she made it a point to “separate from the pack” as she puts it in her new book, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life. “I separated in a sense that Season One — everybody was being frivolous,” Bethenny explains to us. “I was just trying to build a career and I was already working on all the projects.”

“Bravo is very much a network that is known for and relishes big drama, diamonds, glam, money and luxury,” Bethenny says. “I was not that. I had no money, I lived in 700 square-foot apartment. I had no idea what was going on in my life emotionally or career-wise. I separated in the sense that I wasn’t going to pretend I was somebody I wasn’t. I had to separate from the pack and be truthful.”

And when Bethenny found out she was getting her own show, not one of her fellow cast members — Ramona Singer, Alex McCord, Jill, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps or Kelly Bensimon — congratulated her. Were they jealous?

Now, Bethenny’s in the second season of her own show Bethenny Ever After — and she’s happier than ever that she’s no longer a housewife. “I don’t regret not being on that show at all,” she tells us. “I don’t miss a minute of it.”

In Bethenny Ever After, “no one is doing anything violent or outlandish for television,” Bethenny says. “I just love the natural way about this show because it’s true.”

Credit: Hollywood Life (Lindsey DiMattina)

Bethenny: My Reality Days Are Numbered

Always outspoken reality star Bethenny Frankel stopped by Access Hollywood Live on Friday and, as usual, no topics were off limits with the hilarious "SkinnyGirl" pioneer.

Following a clip from Bethenny's show, Bethenny Ever After, in which Bethenny was seen trying on bras, Billy Bush jumped right into the good stuff asking, "Is there anything that you won't show on the show?"

"Full vagina," Bethenny deadpanned.

"But half is OK?" Billy asked, laughing.

"Yeah. Like, quarters," Bethenny told Billy and Kit Hoover. "Upper and lower quadrants. I have standards!"

Bethenny, who got her reality TV start on Bravo's Real Housewives of New York, then branched off to a solo show with Bethenny Getting Married?, now stars in Bethenny Ever After, which follows her life as a wife and new mom to 10-month-old daughter Bryn.

"Little Bryn is the best – she stands on her own now," Bethenny told Billy and Kit of her daughter with husband Jason Hoppy. "Her little thing is to clap – 'If you're happy and you know it' — and she's happy and she's knows it, so she's clapping."

Adding, "She travels with me everywhere. I just love it so much. She's such a doll baby!"

"Let's say she's three or four years old — do you still have her on TV? Are you trying to wrestle with that?" Billy asked.

"No, I'm not trying to wrestle with that. There will be a very immediate future end to my reality television career – it can't go on forever," Bethenny revealed. "It will go on, but not for that long… I would probably say a couple more [seasons] but this isn't going on forever. We really want our private life back."

Credit: Access Hollywood

Bethenny Talks Motherhood, Inlaws, Her Book

It didn't take long for Bethenny Frankel to become the fan favorite on Bravo's "Real Housewives of New York City."

The reality star, natural foods chef and best-selling author soon scored her own spin-off, "Bethenny Getting Married?" -- in which she wed love Jason Hoppy and delivered their daughter, Bryn -- and currently stars in "Bethenny Ever After."

In her latest book, "A Place of Yes," Frankel, 40, lists 10 rules "for getting everything you want out of life."

ParentDish recently spoke with Frankel about her latest book, motherhood and dealing with her inlaws. An edited version of the interview follows.

ParentDish: What does the title "A Place of Yes" mean?

Bethenny Frankel: It does not mean a way to the power of positive thinking. It means a way to get there. You don't have to want what I want. It's about how to plow through and get there. It's how I got to where I am from coming from a place of yes. So many people told me no and how it couldn't happen. I kind of just knew in my gut that I could make things happen.

PD: There are 10 rules in the book. What do you think is the most important one?

BF: I would say maybe all roads lead to Rome, because people worry about the right job and it has to be the perfect situation. And all roads lead to Rome is kind of about getting on the road; it doesn't matter if you get derailed or have to stop, as long as you are moving forward, you can get to your destination one way or another.

PD: You don't speak to Jill from "Real Housewives" at all anymore, right?

BF: No, we don't speak at all. Listen, I have boyfriends that I lived with that I broke up with that I don't speak to, you know. We met briefly before the show, but ultimately our friendship began and ended on reality TV. The way it went down was extremely difficult because my father passed away, I was in a new relationship and being pregnant. The way it went down was really not ideal.

PD: How has motherhood changed you?

BF: My priorities totally changed. I wake up in the morning and the minute I hear her I want to run to her. If I go to L.A. for work, I'll take a red-eye and not stay overnight so I can come back and see her. I just want to be with her every single minute. I've been listening to every woman who says it flies by, and it really does. That will be problematic for me; I can already see that being my issue. I'm going to have a really hard time letting go.

PD: You also write that women should have sex with their husbands even when they're not in the mood.

BF: You just don't want to be the girl five years in, always saying no and in a raggedy robe. You want to try and come from a place of yes.

PD: So, do the producers want you to do goofy things on your show?

BF: Not on my show. That's why Max got fired (recently), to be perfectly honest. I didn't want someone who wanted to be funny and come up with quips. It actually really annoyed me. In reality, he'd be two hours late and he'd want to take a cab instead of the subway and I'm big on work ethic. You think this is a TV show -- this is my life. I get in wicked fights with my producers. There will not be a word out of place. If it's not something I said or did, it will not be on the show or I'll never do the show again. I have a serious foot down mantra.

PD: I hope you're not offended, but I'm on Team Jason regarding issues with his parents. Your daughter is so lucky to have grandparents who adore her.

BF: I'm not offended. I do understand and I love them and they're wonderful. I don't need them to be here every two weeks staying over and vice versa. It's a 50/50 split as to what people think. Guilt shouldn't be a reason for doing things. I want my family and I have to have quality time, too. We need to have our own life. We need to have our own moments together and then share them with other people. I totally get where you're coming from, but it's a balance. Jason and his parents are very talkative and, on a TV show, that's really nice for an hour, but when you've been together for three days in a row you can imagine. That's fine if it's occasional, every week it's too much.

Credit: Parent Dish (Nicki Gostin )

Bethenny Frankel: Not Happy With Co-Workers

Bethenny Frankel has become very good at marketing herself. However, this kind of around-the-clock self-promotion can lead to problems, as revealed on Bethenny Ever After (Mon., 10PM ET on Bravo).

She sat down with husband Jason Hoppy to talk about why her business isn't producing product as quickly as she'd hoped and wasn't at all happy with what she was hearing.

"Everyone's freaking out because they can't get the product," she said. "And we're not producing it fast enough."

Jason explained to her that there wasn't sufficient demand during the early stages of production, and when demand peaked, they couldn't keep up.

Bethenny believed the demand would come all along, as she reminded him. "I told everyone this would happen," she reminded him. "Why can't everybody produce as fast as I can market?"

Credit: TV Squad ()

Bethenny Frankel Touches Down In Los Angeles

Bethenny Frankel, star of Bethenny Ever After, was spotted arriving to LAX Airport in Los Angeles looking happy to be there!

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Photo Agency

Ramona Singer Disses Bethenny’s Actions

Although it seemed like Real Housewives of New York City star Ramona Singer was friends with Bethenny Frankel, she is now dissing her for her actions on her own reality TV show.

Singer admits that she is impressed with Frankel’s ability to handle all she is doing right now, but she doesn’t agree with her treatment of some others, states The Miami Herald.

“How could she not embrace her child’s grandparents?” Singer said about Frankel having a hard time spending a lot of time with her in-laws, “That was shocking to me.”

Credit: Hollywood News (Molly Sullivan)

Bethenny Frankel Doesn't Want To Talk RHONY

Bethenny Frankel isn’t the woman she was when America was introduced to her on the Real Housewives of New York three years ago. Back then, she was 37, single, always cracking wise about her cast-mates’ quirks and working as a chef. Now starring in Season 2 of her own show, Frankel is married with a baby and the kingpin of her SkinnyGirl brand.

Since she became a star and began touring the country giving talks, Frankel has been sought out as a sort of famous best girlfriend that fans will ask about anything.

“Everything from ‘I’m trying to find my way in college and I’m not sure what path I should take’ to ‘I’m single and 30 and my friends are pressuring me, but you’re an inspiration because I feel like I don’t have to do anything on any timeline.’ It’s every range of every women’s question and issue,” Frankel says.

On this season of Bethenny Ever After, we can expect to see her struggling to get the right work-life balance and adjusting to her new in-laws.

As for her past with the Real Housewives, we were curious if Frankel thought any of the other ladies in the franchise had the potential to do what she has accomplished.

“I’d rather talk about me than the other Housewives if that’s OK,” she suddenly snipped. “Thank you.”

Credit: Metro (HEIDI PATALANO)

Jill Zarin Doubts Her Friendship With Bethenny

Jill Zarin is having serious doubts her long-defunct friendship with former Real Housewives of New York City co-star Bethenny Frankel was ever real and tells Rob Shuter it was just a "TV romance" that went bad. Real bad.

"The truth is, I don't even remember being friends with her anymore," Jill tells him on his HDNet show. "You know, when I see her picture and when I see her on TV, I don't even remember our relationship. Which kinda says something."

The pair's friendship went down in flames during the third season of the hit show, with numerous on-air blowups leading to a full scale feud between the two. It probably didn't help that Jill accidentally broke the news of the birth of Bethenny's baby last year on Twitter.

But after many attempts to patch things up, it's pretty clear things are kaput for good for these ex-BFF's and Jill tells me she's fine with it because they didn't exactly have long history. "People thought we came into the show with that romance," she said. "We didn't. We fell in love on TV and we got a divorce on TV."

Now a year later, she's not even sure she and the Bethenny Ever After star were chums to begin with! "It was real! Well, I thought the friendship was real. Clearly, it was not."

Credit: Pop Eater (Rob Shuter)

Bethenny Frankel Teams Up With Hanes

Bethenny Ever After star Bethenny Frankel and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s resident interior designer Michael Moloney teamed up with Hanes for the Keep, Toss and Donate event held on Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 in New York City, New York.

Credit: Accidental Sexiness (Rosy)

Photos by Wire Image

Bethenny Frankel Talks Marriage, Reality Show

Last night marked the second season premiere of Bethenny Frankel's spinoff Bethenny Ever After, so to promote the big event Bethenny participated in a media call to address baby Bryn, the Real Housewives marriage curse, why she decided to come back for Season 2 and, of course, Jill Zarin.

What was behind your decision to keep doing the show? One would imagine it gets increasingly more difficult to have a camera crew following you around your home as you add a family and more people to your immediate lives.

Bethenny: Well, it gets more difficult and, without getting into the details of my relationship with Bravo, I have a commitment. It's not like you get to be like, I want to do one season and then, you've spent all this money on advertising and crew and all of that and we're done. [But] will I be doing this forever? No.

You've mentioned how you feel the obligation to allow the cameras to film your natural daily life. But is there anything that you and Jason have drawn the line at?

Bethenny: You know, it's not that I want them to be in here every time I go to the bathroom. It's that if he and I in general have had the same argument six times over about marriage or money or life or in-laws or something, at some point I want to let the cameras catch that because I just hate when you watch these shows and someone's, like, broken up with their boyfriend and you see them laying there in full makeup pretending that they're sad. I just want it to be real and if we're going to do this at all and we're going to portray our relationship I want people to get the whole picture.

As you know, a lot of Real Housewives marriages have broken up and you've seen it on the show. Was there at all a concern over kind of that Housewives curse?

Bethenny: I mean listen, the Housewives could ruin a lot of things. I'm very happy that I'm not on the Housewives anymore because it's just a whole different place. But my show, I'm an executive producer. I'm involved in decisions -- nothing gets shot if I don't know it's getting shot. And if Jason and I became unhappy as a result of the show or there were problems we wouldn't do it.

Jason was on a season of Real Housewives of New York. Were there problems then?

Bethenny: Listen, my boyfriend first season did not want to be on the show, did not think it was a good idea, had no interest in it. Jason and I could never have stayed on the Housewives together. He's like 'I don't like these women. I don't like what this represents. It's nonsense and it's just catty and it's' -- you know, he hated it.

Were there any moments shooting this season where you were thinking, I wish the cameras weren't here? Like when Bryn's changing or crying?

Bethenny: No, because then it wouldn't be real and it wouldn't be a good show. No, not at all. Especially with her, no, she's just a nice, easy kid. But no, it's just been great. I don't regret anything because could you imagine if I just kept out everything that was embarrassing or my breakdown on my birthday or me uncomfortable with Jason's parents or whatever, then it'd be a terrible show.

As far as your relationships with the other Housewives, has Jill Zarin met Bryn?

Bethenny: No, Jill has not met Bryn, no. That's not even a hard one, that's an easy one.

Credit: Televsion Without Pity (Mindy Monez)

Bethenny Frankel, 40: I Might Have Another Baby

Will Bethenny Frankel's little girl Bryn, 10 months, get a little brother or sister?

It could happen, the Bravo star tells Us Magazine in an exclusive interview.

"I'm 40 years old," Frankel points out. "It's something we have to talk about now."

Her husband, Jason Hoppy, "really wants to have another child," she adds. "The baby stage is so beautiful and addictive."

The recent cover star of Us Weekly also opens up about her "maddening" former obsession with dieting -- and how she's finally developed a healthier attitude about food and her self-image.

Is the Bethenny Ever After star still a Real Housewives watcher? Not so much, she tells Us. The franchise is "women being rewarded for bad behavior," she observes.

Credit: Us Magazine

"Bethenny Ever After" Premiere Sneak Peak

Bethenny Frankel, Jason Hoppy and baby Bryn are back! Jump right on in to the crazy and stressful day-to-day as Bethenny tries to juggle her business, her baby, and her in-laws, proving to be a challenge right from the get-go.

As Bethenny and Jason head out of New York City for a visit to Jason's parents, the trip takes a quick turn for the worse when Bethenny decides she needs more boundaries between the families.

Will Bethenny be able to come to a fair agreement with the in-laws and keep the family peace or will parental drama ensue? Find out this Monday 2/28 at 10:00/9:00c on the premiere of Bravo's Bethenny Ever After.

Credit: Nicole Hering of 360 for Bravo TV

Bethenny Frankel & Baby Bryn Enjoy Miami

Spending time with her baby girl in the warm Miami sunshine, Bethenny Frankel enjoyed a romp around the beach earlier today (February 23).

The Bethenny Ever After star looked fit and fine in a blue bikini as she and a nanny made sure to keep little Bryn sheltered from the sun.

Credit: Celebrity Gossip

Photos by Fly Net

Bethenny Frankel Talks About Her Body Battles

In a candid interview, Bethenny Frankel reveals her past obsession with being thin, her cycle of binging and starving herself and how she learned to break these dangerous & destructive habits. Bethenny Ever After premieres 2/28 at 10 PM on Bravo.

Credit: Access Hollywood

Bethenny 'Very Happy' She’s Not On 'RHONY'

It's out with the old and in with the new as Bethenny Frankel thanks her lucky stars she's a Real Housewife no more.

In an interview with Radar Online the reality star admits she's swept the dramas of the under the rug and is happy to have finally moved on with her own show Real Housewives of New York CityBethenny Ever After.

And don’t look for the ‘Housewives curse’ to come anywhere near her on-camera life. This time around it’s not the show that’s creating problems in her personal life, just the general everyday relationship challenges that we all deal with.

“We’re not on the Housewives. The Housewives can ruin a lot of things,” Bethenny told Radar Online during a conference call to promote the season 2 of her hit Bravo show. “I’m very happy that I’m not on the Housewives anymore because it’s just a whole different place.

“On our show I’m executive producer. I’m involved in decisions, nothing gets shot unless I know it’s getting shot. If Jason and I became unhappy as a result of the show or there were problems because of it, we wouldn’t do it.

“The least of our problems are my show. It’s just normal. [The things] in the show that are happening that don’t have to do with the show are us being so different, and in-laws and money and the more busy I get and normal life.

“Those are the only problems we have that every one in the country has. We don’t have problems because we’re shooting our show. That doesn’t create problems.”

The always outspoken newlywed and new mother to baby Bryn, spoke candidly about the reality of the Housewives curse, which fans have seen tear marriages and relationships apart on-screen, including most recently NeNe Leakes and Tamra Barney.

Bethenny reveals her husband “hated” the Housewives and the couple, who got married last year during the first season of Bethenny Getting Married, could never have done the show together – and survived!

“My boyfriend first season [of Housewives] did not want to be on the show. Did not think it was a good idea. Had no interest in it. If you want to be on the show and your husband has a problem with it and doesn’t love it, it’s going to be very difficult. It can be very annoying,” Bethenny said.

“By the way, Jason and I could never have stayed on the Housewives together. He was like ‘I don’t like these women, I don’t like what this represents, it’s nonsense and it’s catty.’ He hated it… He was embarrassed and didn’t want to be a part of that.

“So if someone has a partner or a spouse that doesn’t want that life it’s all encompassing and it can end up being very petty and minutia and that’s not going to be easy.”

Bethenny Ever After premieres February 28 at 10 pm on Bravo.

Credit: Radar Online

Bethenny Frankel Wants Her Own Talk Show

Bethenny Frankel is quite the businesswoman. She's a natural-food chef, New York Times best-selling author and reality TV star -- just to name a few -- with a mile-long resume to prove she's not messing around when it comes to success.

Although she's found a home in the reality TV circuit as a former Real Housewives of New York star, she's looking to bring her brand to daytime television.

"I would like a daytime talk show because my conversation with my fans right now is through social networking, and my TV show communicates what I'm doing, but it isn't really a dialogue or a conversation," she told PopEater at the British Airways Face To Face event in New York. And she's pretty hopeful it will happen. "Most of my business wishes come true."

Congrats on the second season of your Bravo show. Any juicy details?
Bethenny Ever After starts Feb. 28. It's about the texture of marriage and bringing together Venus and Mars, which is what my husband and I are. We're from two different planets. And he's religious, and I practice yoga. He wants to be around his parents all the time, and I like to be alone and just a lot of crazy things. It's really probably the only real reality show. It's a reality sitcom.

And you're also doing a Skinnygirl tour as well?
Yeah. It's me on a huge Skinnygirl tour bus, and my entire family comes with me. I speak for two hours, to primarily women, about everything from body image issues, weight issues and my first book, 'Naturally Thin.' I discuss those things, gossip a little bit and then do a Q&A, and then I do it all over again the next day. It is exhausting and draining, but I would say it is the most gratifying of everything I do.

Why is this the most gratifying thing you've done?
Because you get to speak to women. You're talking to college girls who are developing their identity, whether they want to be wives for a living, whether they want to be businesswomen, who they want to be, how they want to proceed and move on into the world. You're talking to women who have lost their husbands and want to talk about it to other women, people who are obsessed with dieting, people who have eating disorders. You're just talking to women about everything from breastfeeding to dieting to dating to gossip.

You also have a new book coming out. Can you tell me about it?
My new book is coming out March 22. 'A Place of Yes' is about how I got to where I am in my life now, in career and in family and the 10 rules to getting there.

Credit: Jane Levere for Pop Eater