Bethenny Frankel: The Atlanta Interview

Editor’s Note: Soon after our interview, Bethenny sold her line of Skinnygirl cocktails to the fourth largest premium spirits company in the world, Beam Global, for a reported $100 million.

Bethenny Frankel got her reality TV feet wet as a contestant on ‘The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,’ making it to the finale. Soon after, she became one of the original Real Housewives of New York City. Her own spinoff series, ‘Bethenny Getting Married,’ premiered last June with the highest ratings in Bravo TV history.

We spoke with the New York Times Best Selling author and Skinnygirl Margarita creator about her upcoming appearance at the Cobb Energy Centre, her latest Bravo series ‘Bethenny Ever After,’ and of course, the Real Housewives…

I have. I love it there.

What can we expect from your appearance at the Cobb Energy Centre?

It’s a conversation. A girl’s night out. We talk about women’s issues, marriage, relationships, my shows, gossip, getting what you want out of life. There’s Q&A. We drink Skinnygirl margaritas. It’s a really open, fun night.

The same night you’re in Atlanta, Tabatha Coffey from ‘Tabatha’s Salon Takeover’ and DJ Pauley D from ‘Jersey Shore’ are also appearing here. Why should people come see you?

We’re geared to different audiences. I talk about marriage and sex and where you are in your life and how to get what you want. I guess Tabatha will talk about beauty and hair. Not sure what Pauley D is doing [DJing at Opera]. There’s a lot of take-away. It’s very inspiring. Really fun.

You started out on ‘Martha Stewart: The Apprentice,’ and NeNe from ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘ is on the new ‘Celebrity Apprentice.’ Any advice for her?

Stay cool. People get distracted. You have to be like, ‘This is the big idea in this scene.’ You can’t stray from that. On reality shows it’s all about timing. You only have a few seconds to get your point across. It’s like that in business too. I have to get my message out quickly. She needs to stay focused on the end goal.

Who is your favorite Real Housewife of Atlanta?

I really enjoy Kim. I can’t help myself!

What did you learn from doing ‘Skating with the Stars?’

I learned that women take on too much. Sometimes saying no means saying yes.

Being gay means having to be out and honest and truthful. People may not like it. That’s why I think gay guys relate to me, because I say the truth and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.

Some gay boys want to be skinny girls. Any advice?

They should read my book, ‘Naturally Thin.’ Basically don’t do anything extreme. Never binge or extreme diet. It doesn’t have to be so drastic, which is why I have a cocktail. I’m not advocating drinking if you don’t drink, but if you do I think it’s important to have balance, which is why I created the Skinnygirl Margarita.

You’ve been on three reality shows with many different seasons. What’s it like to live your life on camera?

I enjoy the message of my new show and what it represents. If you saw the first episode of ‘Bethenny Ever After,’ I don’t want to be around that many people. I really don’t like the camera crew in my house. But I like the message.

If I get a good night sleep like I did last night I’m happy. I’m not sure I balance it that well. At this point I just want to be a good mom for my daughter.

He sounds like an addict, but I don’t know that. He lives in his own universe. The unfortunate thing is that he makes a lot of money for that network, which I know a little something about. Part of what he’s saying is true – he affects the bottom line. I also think that unfortunately, men like it. They think he’s cool. Charlie Sheen represents what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. He’s smoking cigarettes and drinking during interviews; talking about banging porn stars. I know a lot of guys think that’s cool, which is why I believe he continues to do it. But if he can remain clean he can do whatever he wants.

You’ve been on a lot of reality shows. Would you recommend he do one?

No. Not at all. It’s so much pressure and stress. Charlie Sheen should definitely not do a reality show. He would be using drugs every day!

Many of the Real Housewives talk about products they have coming out but never do. You had yours out since the beginning.

I did the show for business. No one else did. I kept urging everyone to focus on that. If you remember on ‘Real Housewives of New York,’ Jill was always asking me to go to the jewelry store and get facials and buy lingerie and I kept saying no to focus on my business. I already had a brand and a platform before that show. Now other Housewives are trying to act or sing, but you have to stay true to what you are.

No. I don’t miss it at all!

Your new book is called ‘A Place of Yes: How to Get Everything You Want Out of Life.’ Which rule do you think would help your gay fans the most?

‘Own It’ is a big one. It’s not always easy to be the different one. Stand for something. As much as people will try to derail you, you have to be yourself.

You’ve been very honest about your strained relationship with your parents. Many gay people have issues with their parents also. What advice do you have for getting through it?

I think you have to be open-minded and realize that they come from a different generation. ‘Come Together’ is a rule in my book which means the sum is greater than its parts. You have to do things you don’t want to do. Rather than be angry you have to try to see their point even though you don’t agree with it. You can’t constantly hold on to anger or bitter resentment even though that’s what you feel. In a way, you have to accept the other person for who they are as much as you want them to accept you.

Anything else you want to add or plug?

We’re coming out with different flavors of Skinnygirl Margarita soon. Skinnygirl Sangria comes out in May. I have a new Skinnygirl cleanse. In fact, I’m writing an article right now about cleanses for GNC magazine, because I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there about them. The new season of ‘Bethenny Ever After’ just premiered on Bravo. My new book ‘A Place of Yes’ comes out March 22^nd, and I can’t wait to see everyone in Atlanta!

- Bethenny Frankel appears at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on March 11th at 8 p.m. To learn more about Bethenny, visit Bethenny.com and follow her on Facebook or Twitter.