Bethenny Frankel Defends $375 Dupe Link in Gifted-Shoes Feud With Dina Manzo, Lexi Ioannou
Updated
Updated · The Blast · May 17
Bethenny Frankel Defends $375 Dupe Link in Gifted-Shoes Feud With Dina Manzo, Lexi Ioannou
7 articles · Updated · The Blast · May 17
Frankel said she had planned to credit Lexi Ioannou’s brand Nou in a later outfit post, but linked a $375 Bloomingdale’s lookalike first because the original gifted shoes were sold out.
In TikTok and Instagram videos, she argued gifted items do not obligate her to post or tag a brand, saying her account can move “thousands” of pairs and “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in sales.
The clash erupted after Dina Manzo accused Frankel of promoting a competitor instead of a young entrepreneur, and Ioannou called her a “weirdo” for allegedly monetizing traffic off free shoes.
Online reaction largely ran against Frankel, with commenters urging her to apologize and questioning why she promoted a dupe rather than simply saying the original shoes were out of stock.
Was this a harsh 'business lesson' for a new brand or an ethical lapse by a powerful influencer?
Beyond the online drama, what are the real FTC penalties for influencers who disguise paid affiliate links?
When an influencer's brand is 'authenticity,' does linking a dupe for profit permanently break their audience's trust?