InstagramBethenny Frankel has nothing to hide.
To promote the return of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City, as well as her new book, I Suck at Relationships So You Don't Have To, the reality star appeared on NBC's Today Monday. Speaking to Savannah Guthrie, she dished on everything from learning to love again to dealing with public scrutiny.
Guthrie began by asking Frankel why wrote a book about love, given that she's in the midst of a bitter and prolonged divorce from Jason Happy. The 44-year-old explained it simply, saying, "I'm owning it."
"I've learned more from my mistakes than I have my successes in everything. I was broke not so long ago. In my business, I always wanted to be successful, and I made a lot of mistakes and I really had no idea if it would ever happen for me. It's the same with relationships," the mogul continued. "I can still give advice on something that I've made a lot of mistakes in. It's about 'do as I say, not as I've done.'"
Like many of her fans, Frankel explained, "I'm still on the journey in that regard."
When The Real Housewives of New York City debuted in 2008, viewers identified with Frankel's candor. She became the show's breakout star, but as she later learned, fame comes at a cost. "Now I'm just so resilient to anything negative. I have a better perspective on it and a better attitude about it," she said.
Frankel, who left the show after its third season, was hesitant to return for its seventh season.
"I didn't want to come back. People say that because of the failure of my talk show that I had to come back. I was offered Shark Tank and Dancing With the Stars and Cinderella and all these different things, but I wanted to come home again. I really never thought I would go back. It had gotten to a point where I didn't enjoy it anymore, and now, I'm so glad that I waited because I'm really enjoying it," she said. "I respect the women. I respect what everyone's going through. We're all at different times. Some of them I've known for so many years, and it feels like I'm going back to high school—like a high school reunion!"
"I just have a different perspective on it," she said, adding, "It's really funny, which I missed."
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Frankel has a wicked sense of humor, which comes in handy during tough times.
In the show's seventh season, for example, several cast members discuss Frankel's appearance. "People do comment a lot. Yeah, I am thin," she said. "I mean, I have a brand called Skinnygirl, so it's not a big giant mystery. You can't please everybody. You try to please everybody you end up pleasing nobody."
"Sometimes I do agree that I look too thin, especially when I'm tired, especially when I'm haggard. I do eat. There are nutritionists that comment that I don't even weigh 100 lbs. I weigh 115 lbs. I'll be happy to get on the Today show scale," she told Guthrie with a laugh. "If you have one! Do you have a scale?"
Guthrie joked, "The day we get a Today show scale is my last day at the office!"
Frankel, it turns out, was only half joking. "I've thought about making a bet that I would donate to Dress for Success a certain amount of money if I don't weigh what I say I do. I've done it in the past," she said.
All jokes aside, Frankel thinks there's a double standard at play regarding people's bodies. "People don't talk about people who are overweight...Imagine being like, 'Wow, that person looks really overweight,' and keep talking about it. That wouldn't be nice. But that's not something I'm going to complain about."
(E!, Bravo and NBC are all members of the NBCUniversal family.)