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Bethenny Frankel is getting honest about her health.
The Real Housewives of New York City alum revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage two chronic kidney disease and hoped that speaking openly about her condition would encourage others to be more mindful of their own health.
"Months ago, I decided that I was going to be very proactive about blood tests, bone density—all the things I had heard people talking about," Bethenny said in a TikTok on January 22. "And I started to take a series of blood tests. And my kidney function was consistently low."
The 55-year-old explained that due to the pattern, she reluctantly scheduled an appointment with a kidney specialist.
During the visit, she was given her diagnosis, but her doctor was unsure what caused the kidney disease, believing it could be anything from a severe allergy attack she had several years ago, an autoimmune disease, or even a lack of water intake.
"I don't drink a lot of water," Bethenny explained. "You all know I always carry a hydration packet. I'm holding a bottle, but I don't normally drink it."
Her doctor, however, told her that water was her "medicine" and advised her to drink at least a liter and a half per day. He also said she should avoid ibuprofen, turmeric, and ice cream, and that they would try to reverse the damage to her kidney; it was potentially an issue she’d “have to deal with forever.”
All of this made the Skinnygirl founder grateful that she chose to prioritize her health, and she encouraged her followers to do the same.
"I just wanted to tell you because [I] think it's important to go get all your blood work done," she told me. "All of it." Be thorough. Then follow up on anything that appears to be an outlier.
This is Bethenny's second medical emergency in 2026; she previously revealed that she contracted a rash on her face during a New Year's getaway with her 15-year-old daughter, Bryn Hoppy, whom she shares with ex-husband Jason Hoppy.
"POV: You left St. Barths 3 days early and brought home a bacterial infection," Bethenny wrote on TikTok on January 5, joking. in the caption, "Allergic to St. Barths."
