Bethenny Frankel Reveals Alarming Stage 2 Kidney Disease Diagnosis and Urges Fans to Not Ignore the Warning Signs
Bethenny Frankel is getting real — and a little raw — about a health scare she says she didn’t see coming.
The Real Housewives of New York alum revealed on TikTok that she’s been diagnosed with stage 2 chronic kidney disease, and she says she’s speaking out not for sympathy, but as a warning. “I have a medical announcement. Not because I want you to worry, but because I want you to take precautions in your own life, be mindful,” Bethenny, 55, said in her Jan. 22 video.
According to the SkinnyGirl founder, this wasn’t some random discovery. She said she’s been staying on top of her health with routine testing. “I’d been proactive about blood tests, bone density, all the things,” she explained — but repeated labs showed something was off.
“My kidney function was coming up low. That led to a referral to a kidney specialist — a visit she admittedly tried to dodge. “I didn’t want to go … I didn’t feel like going today,” she confessed. Still, she went — and the news hit hard.
“He said to me, ‘You have stage 2 chronic kidney disease,’ ” Bethenny shared, adding that doctors believe it could be autoimmune-related or tied to a near-fatal allergic reaction she suffered years ago. “It could have been caused by ‘this traumatic experience I had years ago when I almost died from an allergy attack. It could have done damage to the kidney.’ ” Stage 2 kidney disease involves a mild loss of kidney function, and doctors say it can often be managed with close monitoring and blood pressure control.
But Bethenny Frankel revealed the condition may already be affecting her daily life.
She said it’s likely behind recurring infections. “I do get UTIs, not as much anymore,” she noted. And when it comes to treatment, the advice was simple — but not easy for her. “I don’t drink a lot of water … I’m holding a bottle, but I’m not usually drinking it.” When she told her doctor she drinks kombucha instead, she said his response was blunt: “Water is your medicine. You have to drink a giant — I think he said 1.5 [gallons] — and you can put your hydration packets in it.” The doctor also gave her a long don’t list — including ibuprofen, Aleve, Advil, turmeric, and even ice cream, which she was eating during the video. “I remembered after,” she joked.
This diagnosis is just the latest in a string of health issues for Bethenny. In 2023, she was diagnosed with long COVID and the autoimmune condition POTS. Earlier this month, she also battled a bacterial infection while vacationing in St. Barth’s.
Bethenny Frankel said she decided to be transparent because this may not be temporary. “Maybe this is something I’ll have to deal with forever, but I just wanted to tell you because I think it’s important to go get all your bloodwork done.” She urged followers to stay vigilant. “Be thorough,” she said, encouraging regular testing and follow-ups.
“Then do the follow-ups for anything that seems like an outlier. And frankly, get your bloodwork done maybe six months and then six months later, because different stuff could come up and sometimes it’s an aberration and sometimes it means something.”
In her case, she said, “In this case, it was a pattern.” And in true Bethenny fashion, she ended with a mix of honesty and humor — saying she’s still trying to understand what it all means, and joking that she hopes to get clarity from “part-time doctors” on TikTok. “I don’t know exactly what it means. Many of you will, which is also why I’m sharing with you.”
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Nancy Zhāng is an Entertainment Blogger for All About The Tea. Nancy covers hot topics, recaps and celeb news. She loves to multi-task as a writer and a private chef. She received a B.S. in Mass Communications from LSU. Nancy’s married and the proud mom of 2 German Shepherds.
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