Bethenny Frankel is speaking out about the controversy social media users say she caused after attempting to give T.J. Maxx employees what she called her "leftover" makeup — products she says are opened but unused.
The former "Real Housewives of New York City" star addressed the backlash in a series of TikTok videos over the weekend and said she's "sick" of cancel culture.
Need to catch up as the story unfolds? Here's a detailed timeline of events. (TODAY.com has reached out to T.J. Maxx for additional comment.)
Bethenny Frankel posts a video of herself at T.J. Maxx gifting her makeup to employees
In a TikTok video that has since been deleted, Frankel, who regularly posts about her shopping runs to T.J. Maxx, brings on her latest trip a big bag of beauty products. In the clip, she says the items are gifts for kind employees, and are all opened but still "brand new."
"So I came to T.J. Maxx with my daughter because the women who work here are so nice, and they’re always complimenting me on what we buy," Frankel said in the clip. "So I wanted to bring them some of the leftover makeup that I just try, like open up and put in a giveaway pile. But it’s all brand new."
A TikTok user with the handle @ivonnecruz2525 posted a reaction and includes content from Frankel's now-deleted video.
At the register, the Skinnygirl founder approached a cashier and explained what was inside the bag, saying that she can share the products with her friends.
"They're all things that have been opened once and not used. But they’re good and fancy and expensive," she said.
The cashier said she wasn't allowed to accept gifts or gratuity and was concerned that she would get in trouble with her employer for taking the bag.
Frankel then said she would message T.J. Maxx on Instagram and explain the situation, adding that "they're going to make an exception."
A former 'Real Housewives of New York City' star responds to the video
Former "Real Housewives of New York City" star Carole Radziwill saw that reaction video from TikTok user @ivonnecruz2525 and commented on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Who sent this to me? Lol. I mean stop this nonsense . So much to unpack but I’m not getting paid to do this any longer. But here…one “word”: #whitesaviorcomplex," she captioned the post.
Frankel and Radziwill were friends when they first appeared on "RHONY" together in Season 7, but had a falling out in Season 10.
Frankel responds to the backlash
In response to the backlash she received, Frankel posted two reaction videos of her own on Sept. 17.
In the first video, she began by addressing the controversy.
"I’m in a lot of trouble, and I think I'm being canceled," she said.
The 52-year-old went on to explain that makeup brands often send her makeup in a plethora of shades so she can find the right match. She’ll usually open the box and look at the shade to see if it’s right for her complexion. For products she opened that aren't a match, she says now fall somewhere in between the "new" and "used" category.
Frankel explained that she regularly hands out the products to her staff and other people.
"I always have bags in my car for random acts of kindness. If someone’s nice to me, I just hand them something," she said.
She noted that she sometimes opens the product and applies it to her hand to see the shade, then puts it on her lips. "Not from the applicator because I know I'm going to give it away," she said.
Since T.J. Maxx employees aren't allowed to accept gifts, Frankel said she ended up bringing it to another store. She then said she heard people on social media were saying she's "really cheap" and has a "white savior complex."
In her second video posted the same day, Frankel elaborated on Radziwill's comment about Frankel having a white savior complex without naming her directly. (White savior complex, as The Atlantic describes it in a 2022 story, is when a white person of privilege "seeks personal catharsis" by trying to save or "uplift" an underprivileged person of color.)
"I didn't know what the term meant specifically, and then I went and educated myself and looked it up," she said.
"We’re just in this time where people just want to say something provocative so people can jump on and the mob can come, and it's like everyone's just trying to come up with some great catchphrase that they can criticize you of."
Frankel defended herself, saying that some kind gestures are simple as that — kind gestures.
"Everything doesn't have to be something. Some things could just be exactly what they are: You went to a store to bring some makeup that you didn't want to throw away and that you didn't need," she said.
She then said she believes this conflict speaks to an issue about cancel culture.
"I think as much as cancel culture lives on, I think some people are starting to get frustrated with everything being something. In 2023, calling people names using terminology like that, it can be scary. It's alarming, it's provocative, it's unnecessary, and it's really really, ignorant," she said.