Former Real Housewives of New York City Bethenny Frankel landed herself in a cross-franchise feud with Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Dina Manzo — over a pair of shoes.
The drama kicked off on May 15, 2026, when Frankel shared a photo of a strapless sundress to her Instagram Stories.
“This dress is insane and the price is ridiculous,” she wrote at the time. After a follower complimented her black peep-toe pumps, Frankel directed fans to a $375 Bloomingdales pair “for the same look.”
Manzo’s daughter, Lexi Ioannou, soon claimed that Frankel was actually wearing shoes from Nou, her fashion brand. Ioannou chastised the Skinnygirl founder for allegedly failing to give credit where credit was due.
Bethenny Frankel has made contestant headlines ever since she got her start in reality TV. Frankel made her first reality TV appearance in 2005 on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. She finished as the runner-up in the competition for her BethennyBakes business, which made egg-free, wheat-free and dairy-free cookies and meal delivery in New York. Following […]
Keep scrolling for a full breakdown of the drama:
Dina Manzo and Lexi Ioannou Call Out Bethenny Frankel
Ioannou aired her grievances in an Instagram video, calling Frankel “a weirdo” for refusing to tag her brand in an upload featuring a pair of her shoes.
“I sent her a pair of shoes from Nou almost a year ago because I look up to her. [She is a] female entrepreneur [and from the] Bravo universe like me,” Ioannou said, taking issue with Frankel’s affiliate link post. “OK, that happens, but then she posted a video today that’s going viral and a bunch of people are asking where the shoes are [from]. Instead of linking them, she linked a dupe with an affiliate link.”
She continued, “I guess she’s got to get that bag in some sort of way? So, she got the shoes for free from a woman-founded brand, mine, and then she made money sending her followers somewhere else.”
Manzo backed her daughter on Instagram Stories, channeling one of Frankel’s iconic RHONY arguments with Ramona Singer. “‘Wow Bethenny Wow!!’ So odd of you to post a dupe of your GIFTED @shopnou shoes instead of giving a young woman entrepreneur credit,” she wrote. “You wear them often so we know you like them??”
She also commented on her daughter’s OG post, “Proud of you for standing up for yourself and the brand you’ve worked so hard to build ❤️“
Bethenny Frankel Issues Sharp Response
Frankel course-corrected that same day with an “Outfit of the Day” video, in which she did name-check the brand. “FYI I always give credit where credit is due,” she wrote on her Stories.
In the clip, she said, “The shoes are Nou. N-O-U, I think.”
But by May 16, 2026, Frankel had a much longer message, firing back on TikTok and framing the entire situation as a “business lesson” for Ioannou.
“The shoes were sold out so we linked to something similar because the audience gets frustrated when there’s something they can’t buy. Why would I wear something and talk about it, if they can’t buy it?” Frankel said. “This female owner decided to post a scathing video of me. Her body, her choice. I have stated multiple times that if you send me something, I have no obligation to link, like, use, wear, buy, tag. I can do whatever I want. My account. My body. My choice. Once you send those shoes into my house, my shoes. You’re welcome!”
Dina Manzo Doubles Down
Hours after Frankel posted another Instagram video of herself walking in an all-leather outfit — and briefly losing her footing — Manzo couldn’t resist a parting shot.
“Better change back to your comfortable @shopnou_ heels. Looks like you almost ate pavement there for a minute,” Manzo commented.
She later clarified on her Instagram Stories, “Just giving her some advice for the ‘long game’ but guess she didn’t like it? I mean, she did trip.”
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.