Bethenny Frankel has made a career out of reinventing herself—yet she spends an incredible amount of time criticizing others for doing the same. From reality TV star to failed chef, self-proclaimed business mogul, and now a social media commentator, Frankel has consistently positioned herself as the ultimate authority on branding and success. But when you really look at her career trajectory, it’s clear that she’s not nearly as stable in her own identity as she pretends to be.

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Frankel started out in the food industry, branding herself as a natural food chef. But despite her early attempts to establish credibility in that space, she never became a respected culinary figure. Unlike chefs who have built long-standing, trusted brands—like Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, or even Chrissy Teigen—Frankel abandoned that path when it didn’t work out. Instead, she leveraged reality TV fame from The Real Housewives of New York City to push a low-calorie alcohol brand, Skinnygirl. And while she did sell it for a substantial sum, her attempt to position herself as a “business guru” afterward has always been questionable.

Her expertise is largely self-appointed. She built her wealth through a combination of luck, good timing, and reality TV exposure—not because she pioneered a new product category or introduced groundbreaking business strategies. Yet, she’s consistently the loudest voice in the room when it comes to criticizing other women in business, particularly those with bigger platforms or more mainstream success than she has.

Her entire brand has been built on cutting other people down. She constantly shifts between playing the underdog and the expert, depending on what suits her narrative at the time. She talks about being relatable and down-to-earth, but her personality comes off as mean-spirited and condescending. She wants credit for being “real,” but there’s a difference between honesty and cruelty.

Her treatment of Meghan Markle is a perfect example. Bethenny has made multiple viral videos dissecting Meghan’s every move, always from a negative angle. Whether it’s Markle’s brand, her relationship with Harry, or her attempt to build a business, Bethenny finds a way to spin it into a failure. But the hypocrisy is glaring:

1. Bethenny also failed as a chef. She loves to mock Meghan’s brand pivot, but her own culinary career fizzled out before it ever really began. Markle’s interest in lifestyle and food at least aligns with what she’s trying to do—Bethenny, on the other hand, walked away from food and now claims to be a branding expert.
2. Bethenny constantly rebrands herself. She claims Meghan is lost in an identity crisis, but what is Bethenny? One minute, she’s a business mogul, the next, she’s a media personality, then an influencer critiquing celebrities online. She jumps from one thing to another just as much, if not more, than Markle does.
3. She’s bitter that she never broke into Meghan’s level of celebrity. Bethenny has always hovered at the edge of A-list fame but never quite gotten there. Yes, she was a successful reality star, but she never became a global figure the way Meghan did. That kind of success seems to bother her. Instead of admitting that Markle has a level of recognition she’ll never reach, she trashes her every move.

At the heart of it, Bethenny Frankel seems like someone who resents other women who have carved out bigger spaces for themselves. She wants to be viewed as the smartest person in the room, the one who “tells it like it is,” but in reality, she comes across as bitter and envious. There’s a reason so many people roll their eyes at her self-proclaimed expertise—she lacks the grace, tact, and credibility of true business leaders.

Instead of constantly dissecting Meghan Markle’s moves, maybe she should take a step back and reflect on her own career. Because if there’s anyone struggling with an identity crisis, it’s not just Meghan—it’s Bethenny.