Bethenny Frankel Fires Back at Rhonj Star Dina Manzo After Shoe Brand Beef Goes Public
What happened
Bethenny Frankel fired back at "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Dina Manzo and her daughter after being called out for wearing a gifted pair of shoes — and then tagging a different brand instead.
The drama started when Alexia Iannou, Manzo's daughter and founder of the shoe brand Nou, posted an Instagram Reel calling Frankel a "weirdo" after Frankel wore Iannou's shoes in a social media post but later linked to a different pair of heels in her Instagram Story.
"I sent her a pair of shoes from Nou almost a year ago because I look up to her," Iannou said in her video. "She didn't tag us after wearing the shoes multiple times online — which, okay, that happens. But then, today she posted a video tagging a different brand."
Iannou said Frankel linked to a competing pair of heels from Black Suede Studio at Bloomingdale's, priced at $345, using an affiliate link — earning money off a product that was similar to Nou's gifted shoes.
"So, she got the shoes for free from a woman-founded brand — mine — and then she made money sending her followers somewhere else," Iannou said.
Manzo also weighed in on her Instagram Story. "WOW BETHENNY WOW!!" she wrote. "So odd of you to post a dupe of your GIFTED shopnou shoes instead of giving a young woman entrepreneur the credit."
Frankel responded in a TikTok video Friday, explaining that she had tagged a different brand because Nou's shoes were sold out at the time of posting.
"The audience gets frustrated when they can't buy something immediately. Why would I wear and talk about it if they can't buy it?" Frankel said.
Frankel also pushed back on Iannou's public criticism, framing it as a business lesson. "Whining and being a crybaby about something that didn't go your way in business means you're not a real business person," she said.
She added that she has no obligation to tag or link any brand that sends her gifted items, and said Iannou missed an opportunity for major exposure.
"You have a lot to learn because I would have worn all the shoes on your site and you would have sold thousands of pairs," Frankel told Iannou in the video.
Frankel eventually gave Nou credit in a separate Instagram post later Friday, offering a full "OOTD" breakdown that included the shoe brand.
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