Bethenny Frankel has never been one to keep her opinions to herself and, this time, she’s stepping into the latest Kardashian-West drama.
The former "Real Housewives of New York City" star took to Instagram to share her thoughts on Kanye West featuring his and Kim Kardashian’s daughter, North West, on his latest song with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
And if you know this housewife, you know she’s not sugar-coating a thing.
In a video, Frankel, 54, dished out some unsolicited but not entirely unwise advice to Kardashian, 44. Drawing from her own messy decade-long divorce battle with ex-husband Jason Hoppy, she made it clear that Kardashian might be handling this situation all wrong.
"My advice to Kim Kardashian as someone who’s been through a horrific, decade-long divorce on a two-year marriage and got primary custody and no child support that I had to pay," Frankel began.
"The media is focused on the trademark, who owns the trademark of North West, because she’s been featured on a Kanye, Diddy song, which is alarming."
Frankel was referring to the online firestorm that erupted after West, 47, released "Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine" on Saturday, March 15, featuring 11-year-old North and Diddy.
Text messages allegedly exchanged between Kim Kardashian and West surfaced, revealing that Kardashian had tried to prevent the song’s release over concerns about North’s trademarked name.
In the texts, Kardashian wrote, "I asked you at the time if I can trademark her name. You said yes. When she’s 18, it goes to her. So stop. I sent paperwork over so she wouldn’t be in the Diddy song to protect her."
One user commented: "It’s both of their children, they both should have ownership of the trademark. This is why Kanye is pissed because he thought that he was a part of the trademark. The Kardashians see them kids as financial transactions."
This comment brings up an interesting legal question - who owns North West’s brand? Under US trademark law, parents can register trademarks on behalf of their children, but only one parent needs to file, meaning Kim K might legally have full control unless West was explicitly included.
If Kardashian had filed the trademark alone, West might feel like he had no say in his child’s financial future, even though he sees himself as an equal parent.
And let’s not forget, West has been vocal for years about not wanting his children to be controlled by the Kardashian machine. He’s railed against their media empire, claiming that his ex-wife and her family make decisions about their kids’ lives without him.
If he truly believed he had a say in North’s branding, this would explain his anger. It’s not just about the song but rather about control, identity, and who gets the final word on their kids' public image.
Frankel, however, sees it differently.
"She should not be speaking to him at all. She should be speaking to him by proxy," she stated bluntly. "Someone else should be the one interacting with him because, again, he’s not rational. He’s sharing her texts, and that’s a violation."
But let’s address the bigger trend here as well. Why are celebrities airing their disputes so publicly? We’ve seen countless messy public feuds, from Britney Spears’ conservatorship battle to Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s divorce drama.
Social media has become the new battleground where stars fight for public sympathy, and sometimes, public perception can influence actual legal proceedings.
Frankel continued her rant by explaining that the Skims business owner should focus on securing "decision-making" rights in court, especially for major issues concerning their children, North, Saint (9), Chicago (7), and Psalm (5).
"God forbid something happens medical with the kids or education or something important, big-ticket items, you need a sane, rational, non-punitive party to be making those decisions," she added.
In typical Frankel fashion, she didn’t just speak hypothetically, she brought up her own experience. "In my situation, I moved out of my apartment when I technically wasn’t supposed to because it’s called ‘abandonment,’ but I made that judgment call because of circumstances going on within the house.
The judge applauded that," she said, adding that she even bought her own home before finances were settled, which was also supported by the judge because it gave her child a stable environment.
For Frankel, the key takeaway is that "judges are human beings" and focus on what’s best for the child rather than just legal technicalities.