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 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 Frankel: Miami Bikini Babe

Closing out the weekend with a romp around the beach, Bethenny Frankel proudly flaunted her bikini body in Miami Beach, Florida on Sunday (February 27).

The reality TV star was joined by husband, Jason Hoppy, as the twosome took a loved-up stroll along the sandy shoreline in the sunshine state.

Credit: Celebrity Gossip

Photos by INF Daily

"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 & Family Spotted In Soho

Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel took a stroll with husband Jason Hoppy and their baby daughter Bryn (b. May 8, 2010) in SoHo on Febrauary 19, 2011.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Bauer Griffin

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