Unraveling Bethenny Frankel and Joy Behar’s Feud Over Skinnygirl
Bethenny Frankel and the cast of The View have been feuding for years, with Joy Behar leading the charge. While things have been quiet in recent months, Behar decided now was a good time to revisit her distaste for Frankel with a brand-new accusation. The famed cohost shaded Frankel by claiming she stole the idea behind her Skinnygirl brand from Behar. It’s a stretch, but here’s how it unfolded.
The ‘Skinnygirl’ accusation
On the September 30 episode of The View, Behar welcomed back original cohost Debbie Matenopoulos, who was filling in for Whoopi Goldberg. Behar greeted her old colleague by calling her the show’s eternal “skinny b*tch,” a nickname she used for Matenopoulos back in the late ’90s. There was no problem there, but Behar then claimed “somebody” stole the nickname idea and turned it into a diet book.
Through more back-and-forth, Behar and her co-hosts made it clear they were talking about Frankel, though Frankel never published a book using the term “Skinny B*tch.” That distinction goes to Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, who published their vegan “manifesto” in 2005. Frankel did publish a diet book, Naturally Thin, using her Skinnygirl branding in 2009.
Sunny Hostin has issues with Bethenny Frankel, too
Frankel’s name comes up a surprising amount for a show she’s not directly involved with. According to Sunny Hostin, Behar’s beef with the former Bravo star stretches back years. To be fair, though, Behar isn’t the only one with a problem with the former Housewife. One of the first major comments about Frankel came in 2019, when Hostin claimed Frankel “yelled” at her children for playing on the beach while Frankel’s child was napping inside her beachfront home.
The story sparked a public back-and-forth between the two women, and Frankel denied that any such confrontation happened.
Joy Behar took a jab at Bethenny Frankel last year
In June 2025, The View took aim at Frankel again, with Behar having some less-than-positive things to say about her body. While discussing Frankel’s appearance on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway during Miami Swim Week, Behar remarked that Frankel had fake breasts.
In a TikTok video, Frankel clapped back, clarifying that she’d had a breast lift but that her breasts were real. She argued the runway show proved women her age can live freely and happily, then turned her attention to Behar, saying she felt sorry for her because she didn’t seem to be living her life with any joy.
Will Bethenny respond?
So far, Frankel hasn’t publicly addressed Behar’s latest comments. Considering Frankel’s dedication to the art of social media and her past clapbacks, we assume she’s already crafting a rebuttal. After all, Behar’s allegations are pretty serious, and they don’t seem to be rooted in much fact at all. It is the perfect chance for Frankel to take a shot back at Behar and Hostin.
While Frankel uploaded a cooking video today showing fans how she makes cauliflower fried rice, she has yet to address Behar’s jab.
