Why Did Bethenny Frankel Sues TikTok? How Much Money Does She Have? Net Worth In 2022

Bethenny Frankel sues TikTok for allegedly allowing fraudsters to use her ‘image and likeness’ to promote counterfeit products.

Page Six reported that the “Real Housewives of New York City” alum claims that in September, some of her 994,600 followers notified her after seeing Frankel promoting a fake designer cardigan.

Per the documents, Frankel claims that a scammer took a previous video of her praising a different cardigan. Then, edited it to appear as if she was promoting the fake product without her consent.

According to the filing, Frankel claims that after discovering the alleged scam, she posted her video alerting her followers of the “unauthorized and illegal use of her persona to advertise counterfeit goods.” But TikTok deleted the video for being “abusive.”

She now seeks compensation for damages after her goodwill “suffered significant injury and irreversible damage.” Furthermore, she is requesting changes to TikTok’s advertising policy, which she claims does not “police” these ads.

“First and primarily, I want to see a tangible change, whether it’s an act, a law, a process, or a step that protects content creators,” said Frankel in an interview.

“TikTok must make an effort to protect creators and consumers.” Some people bought these products after seeing my advertisements.”

The document reads, “influencers must actively monitor for and police any unsanctioned use of their name, portrait, picture, and voice.”

They have to ensure that counterfeiters and other unauthorized entities do not perpetuate counterfeited and other unauthorized products using their personas, voices, content, or likenesses.

“This requires significant time and investment from content creators, an effort that is not always successful, and it is not compensated in any way by TikTok,” says Frankel.

In recent years, the use of video creators like Frankel to market products on the internet has grown into a major industry.

Washington Post reported that the total amount spent on influencer marketing is expected to be around $16.4 billion by the end of this year.

A creator’s value is in how they recommend products and what brands they support. If that is taken out of context and applied to a brand they have never endorsed or sponsored, their credibility is jeopardized.

According to the creators, these ads are more than just a nuisance; they can seriously harm the creator’s business.

Bethenny Frankel has an estimated net worth of $80 million as of 2022.

Her primary source of income is her company, Skinnygirl, of which she is the founder and CEO. Skinnygirl sells pre-made cocktails, workout DVDs, books, clothing, lunch meat and salad dressing.

Bethenny sold her Skinnygirl liquor stake to Beam Suntory for a reported $100 million in 2011. Forbes reported that Bethenny made a profit of $55 million in 2011.

The Housewife was by far the highest-paid reality star at the time and was also one of the year’s highest-paid celebrities, earning $55 million in 2016.

Frankel also sent $20 million in relief supplies to Ukraine through her disaster relief organization, B Strong, in the midst of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

The relief material included 100,000 crisis kits packed with blankets, sleeping bags, toiletry kits, non-perishables, and water, as well as generators.

Bethenny Frankel Made $40,000 Per Episode of RHONY

She rose to prominence as a cast member on Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City.” She appeared in eight of the show’s thirteen seasons.

She joined the Bravo show for seasons 1-3, then returned for seasons 7-11 before departing for good in 2019. It’s been a long time, but she was there for eight seasons and 152 episodes at $40,000 per episode, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

So, she earned around $6 million for her time on the show.

Following RHONY, she appeared on numerous shows and podcasts, which added to her fortune. Frankel appeared on the Bravo reality show Bethenny Getting Married? with her partner at the time, Jason Hoppy.

It followed the couple’s engagement, marriage, and the birth of their daughter. She also landed her own talk show after talks for her to host one began in 2011.

The Bethenny Show premiered on September 9, 2013, but was quickly canceled on February 14, 2014.

Bethenny Frankel Once Made $55 Million in a Single Year

According to Forbes, Bethenny earned $55 million in 2011 from her company Skinnygirl. Then, in 2016, she earned $8.5 million, making her the sixth highest-paid reality star of the year.

Skinnygirl is a lifestyle brand that provides practical solutions to women, such as the Skinnygirl Jeanswear Collection, which sold out on HSN in just a few hours.

You can visit her online store here, where you can find a wide range of products, from food, clothing, kitchen items, accessories, and so on.

Bethenny has collaborated with Endeavor Content to launch Just B, a podcast about being a self-made tycoon in business, lifestyle, and beyond.

Just B with Bethenny Frankel debuted in September 2020, quickly rising to #4 on the Apple Podcast episodes chart and #1 in the society and culture category within the first week.

It is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and other streaming services.

After suing TikTok for compromising the creators’ privacy, Bethenny Frankel has taken to Instagram to share the news.

Along with the news outlet from WashingtonPost, she mentioned that consumers and creators are exploited with no recourse or ability to defend or protect themselves.

As the most powerful medium on the planet, social media cannot be a dangerous marketplace where people’s rights and privacy are violated without protection,” she wrote.

She stated that her demands to build a safe place for creators on TikTok is justifiable, and she wouldn’t stop until she, her community, and its children are safe.

She also attached an email address to her post where you can report an illegal violation of your rights on social media

We will update you about the lawsuit’s outcome as soon as the case progresses.