The divorce doctor is in. Bethenny Frankel is offering words of wisdom to Kanye West after going through her own highly publicized split and custody battle.
“Kanye, in particular, is really, really shedding a light on his divorce and he’s talking into the court of public opinion instead of talking to the court of the custody of your children,” the former Real Housewives of New York City personality, 51, said during the Tuesday, February 15, episode of her “Just B With Bethenny Frankel” podcast. “My advice to Kanye would be: You have to stay the course. You cannot go rogue and take matters into your own hands when it comes to the divorce and custody process. It will only hurt you.”
The rapper, 44, shares daughters North, 8, and Chicago, 4, and sons Saint, 6, and Psalm, 2, with Kim Kardashian, who filed for divorce from West in February 2021 after six years of marriage. Frankel, who has spent years in and out of court with ex-husband Jason Hoppy regarding custody of 11-year-old daughter Bryn, encouraged West to focus on the wellbeing of his kids instead of slamming Kardashian, 41, on social media.
“Here’s the deal: Judges want what’s best for the children,” she added. “All they want is what’s best for the children. Now, Kanye’s talking about how he doesn’t want his daughter who’s 8 to be on TikTok and he didn’t approve this. He’s asking all of us to rally around him … [but] that’s going to be a really hard argument for him.”
Frankel noted that West’s appearances on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and the family’s prominent social media presence make it difficult to see his point of view. “You can’t endorse it when you’re a part of it and then denounce it when you’ve walked away from it,” she claimed. “You can’t have it both ways. … [North] was literally born into that world, whether you like that or not.”
According to the Skinnygirl CEO, a judge might not be thrilled with the “spectacle” of how the Yeezy designer is handling his split. “That’s what’s really bad for a child, them watching them go back and forth,” she added. “The court is a necessary evil. … You can’t just go rogue and do things in your own way. You can’t Kanye your way out of a divorce and go public.”
Frankel pointed out via Instagram on Tuesday that the Grammy winner might be “going through something emotional that supersedes reason and logic,” which could be why he’s airing out his issues with his estranged wife and her boyfriend, Pete Davidson, online.
“Like a terrible storm or a personal loss, you simply must face challenges head on no matter how emotionally challenging that may be,” she wrote alongside a clip from her podcast. “Faith, hope, patience, will and survival are the means to survive something so difficult. When dealing with children, the stakes are as high as possible. You cannot play games. Anything can happen in a court room. … Someone has to get through to him … It’s a serious matter from an emotional and custody standpoint.”
West recently raised eyebrows with a series of social media posts fighting for Kardashian to reunite their family. He also took aim at Davidson, 28, even going so far as to encourage fans to call the comedian a loser if they see him in public. After deleting the uploads, West addressed his comments in another Instagram post.
“I’ve learned that using all caps makes people feel like I’m screaming at them,” he wrote on Tuesday. “I’m working on my communication. … I know sharing screen shots was jarring and came off as harassing Kim. I take accountability. I’m still learning in real time. I don’t have all the answers. To be good leader is to be a good listener.”
The Skims CEO has been linked to the Saturday Night Live star since October 2021. Ahead of his split from Julia Fox earlier this month, West made several attempts to win back Kardashian while watching her move on. However, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the reality TV personality won’t “engage further” with her estranged husband amid the drama.
“She’s leaning on [Pete] while Kanye is going through this jealousy phase,” the insider said, adding that the King of Staten Island star has been a “rock” for the beauty mogul lately. “Kim and Pete are trying not to give in to the attention. She’s said what she needed to say.”
Davidson, for his part, is “taking the mature route” and “staying far away from Kanye,” per a second source. “He’s not afraid of him — he just doesn’t want to get involved in the divorce drama.”