Dina Manzo’s Daughter Lexi Blasts Bethenny Frankel For Not Supporting Other Women — Bethenny Responds
In the latest Real Housewives-adjacent social media spat, Lexi Ioannou (also known as Alexia Ioannou), the 30-year-old daughter of Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Dina Manzo, publicly called out Bethenny Frankel for failing to properly credit her shoe brand Nou after wearing a gifted pair.
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Join NowThe drama erupted on Friday when Frankel, 55, shared a video from a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit social club event. She wore black mule heels from Nou — a vintage and curated fashion brand founded by Ioannou — paired with a white polka dot dress while lip-syncing to Jessie J’s “Price Tag.”
When followers flooded the comments asking about the shoes, Frankel (or her team) linked a similar pair from Black Suede Studio available at Bloomingdale’s for $345 via an affiliate link, rather than tagging Nou.
Ioannou, who sent the shoes to Frankel nearly a year ago as a fan and fellow entrepreneur, took to Instagram with a pointed video. “Bethenny Frankel is a weirdo,” she began, explaining that she admired Frankel as a female entrepreneur in the Bravo universe who had appeared on Shark Tank.
“She didn’t tag us after wearing the shoes multiple times online — which, okay, that happens,” Ioannou continued. “But then today she posted a video that’s going viral… And instead of linking them, she linked a dupe and with an affiliate link. I guess she’s gotta 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.”
Ioannou also shared screenshots of their earlier text exchange, in which she offered to send the shoes and Frankel responded with her email and a “congrats.”
Dina Manzo quickly backed her daughter, posting on Instagram Stories: “WOW BETHENNY WOW!! So odd of you to post a dupe of your GIFTED @shopnou shoes instead of giving a young woman entrepreneur the credit. You wear them often so we know you like them???” She later added that she was “proud” of Lexi for standing up for her brand.
Bethenny Claps Back
Frankel responded swiftly in a TikTok video, addressing the situation without naming Ioannou directly at first. She explained that the Nou shoes were sold out with a 6-8 week wait time, and her team opted for a readily available dupe to avoid frustrating her audience.
“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.
She went further, stating she has “no obligation” to tag, link, or promote gifted items and criticized the approach as unprofessional.
“Whining and being a crybaby about something that didn’t go your way in business means you’re not a real business person,” Frankel declared. “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 and made hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Frankel later gave Nou direct credit in a full outfit-of-the-day post. The publicity has reportedly led to a limited pre-order sell-out for the brand.
Reactions and Context
The exchange has sparked divided opinions online, with some Bravo fans praising Ioannou for advocating for her small business and others siding with Frankel’s emphasis on practicality and lack of promotional obligations for gifted PR. Nou specializes in sourcing and selling vintage shoes and clothing.
This isn’t the first time Frankel has found herself in a public disagreement with fellow Housewives or their families, but the generational angle — a younger entrepreneur calling out a veteran businesswoman — has added extra fuel to the fire.
As of now, neither side has commented further, but the internet is watching closely for Round 2.
