Bethenny Frankel Explains Why She ‘Wouldn’t Do Filler’ Again, but Would Say ‘Yes’ to Botox (Exclusive)

Skyler CarusoFri, May 15, 2026 at 8:21 PM UTC

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Bethenny Frankel at the 2026 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue' Launch Party.
Credit: Stephanie Augello/Variety/Getty -

Bethenny Frankel reveals the reason why she now avoids filler

She shared her experience with a vampire facelift but said she avoids trendy beauty procedures like thread lifts

Frankel celebrated her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut and said her boyfriend Shane Campbell loved the photo shoot

Bethenny Frankel is keeping it real.

While speaking with PEOPLE exclusively at the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch party, the Real Housewives of New York City alum opened up about how her opinion on cosmetic procedures has evolved.

Frankel, 55, shared that she tried fillers in her past, but told PEOPLE that she won't be using injectable, gel-like substances again. (Fillers are often used in the beauty industry to restore lost volume, smooth lines, soften creases or enhance facial contours.)

Bethenny Frankel attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Launch of the 2026 Issue.
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

"I didn't do it a lot, but I did it — and then I heard it never leaves your face," she tells PEOPLE at the event, which was held at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City, on Thursday, May 14. "I don't want any guests to never leave, and I don't need anything to not leave your face."

"So I wouldn't do filler," she emphasizes, before revealing a different cosmetic procedure that she gets done.

"I Botox, yes," she said, "Not filler."

Frankel, who made her debut in the iconic SI Swimsuit print issue this year and walked in the SI Swimsuit Runway Show for the first time during 2025 Miami Swim Week, also opened up about the "wildest" procedures she's ever tried for beauty.

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Bethenny Frankel walks the runway for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in May 2025.
Credit: Instagram/Bethenny Frankel

"The wildest, I did that vampire thing where they prick your face everywhere with blood. It all scabbed up," she recalls.

Frankel was seemingly referring to the vampire facelift (PRP facelift), which is said to revitalize your face without surgery, according to Cleveland Clinic. "Providers inject platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with hyaluronic acid filler to contour your face, reduce wrinkles and plump skin," the site reads.

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"Minimal side effects" are likely to occur after the vampire facelift, including bruising, swelling and tenderness in the area. The procedure is an alternative to a surgical facelift, per the clinic.

Frankel made it clear she's "not big on gimmicks" that circulate in the beauty world. "I don't know enough," she says of why she doesn't quickly attempt them herself.

Then, the entrepreneur called out one beauty procedure she would never try: "I heard not to do the string thing. There's a string thing... I heard that, and filler."

Bethenny Frankel and Shane Campbell.
Credit: Jesse Grant/WWD via Getty; bethennyfrankel/Instagram

Frankel was likely referring to a thread lift, which is a non-surgical cosmetic procedure that lifts and tightens a person's skin in an attempt to achieve a younger look while simultaneously stimulating the body's collagen production, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Overall, the TV personality was overjoyed by her feature in this year's SI Swimsuit issue. She was photographed by James Macari against the desert landscapes and coastal waters of the Baja Peninsula in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

"I thought they were great. I thought they were great and I loved it," she said of the photos. "I can't explain it. I don't do curtain calls. I wasn't like, 'Oh, look at me,' about me. I loved the experience. I loved doing it. I loved getting it. I loved the women. I loved the crew."

"But the pictures, they were great," she shared.

Frankel also shared with PEOPLE what her boyfriend, Shane Campbell, thought of her photo shoot after the photos were published on launch day.

"He loved it. He loved it. He thought it was beautiful. He was excited," she says of the Miami investment banker five days after hard launching their romance on Instagram with PDA-filled photos on May 9.

The pair were first linked by Page Six in April. They made their first public appearance that month at the 2026 Global Champions Arabians Tour in Miami Beach.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”