Bethenny Frankel is fighting back after The View‘s Sunny Hostin criticized the reality star for publicizing her charitable hurricane relief efforts.
Hostin, 49, accused Frankel, 47, of helping victims of hurricane Maria for “self-serving publicity” after the reality star documented her time in Houston and Puerto Rico, with her program B Strong Disaster Relief, on social media and The Real Housewives of New York.
“I think that the work that she has done there is helpful and I think that has been wonderful,” she said Friday on The View. “But for me, that is just not the true meaning of charity. I don’t think you go to a disaster area with personal photographers and videographers following you, watching you hug people.”
While Alyssa Milano, Joy Behar and more commended Frankel for bringing awareness to the cause, Hostin said charity work should be done to help people, not to “grow a platform.”
Frankel swiftly responded on Twitter, sharing just how much she’s helped Puerto Rico in the wake of hurricane Maria.
“Hey @Alyssa_Milano @TheView thanks for using your platform to help raise awareness for the hurricane ravaged areas & @sunny FYI- I’ve been there 6x, 1x on my bday & sent 54 planes & 50 mil in relief & 1 mil cash & only 1 trip was documented,” she wrote.
Hostin shot back, accusing Frankel of “self serving publicity” for sharing her charitable work with the media.
“Well, that’s not really accurate @Bethenny. Your efforts were documented by you & personal photographer/videographer & then distributed to media outlets & on social media,” she wrote. “I thank you for the important charitable work you do but question the need for the self serving publicity.”
The Skinnygirl mogul then called Hostin out for claiming to do “tireless work” since the hurricane.
“If someone was supporting that island in a substantial way, my team there knows about it. It is a small island,” tweeted Frankel.
“Your team must be really impressive if it knows all the support being given to over 3 million people,” responded Hostin. “Savior much?”
After Frankel told Hostin to contact officials in Puerto Rico for accurate information, the host tweeted, “Hmnn. I see I’ve struck a nerve.”
Frankel swiftly replied, “I think you have struck many…”
- Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
The topic came up while the women on The View were discussing Carole Radziwill‘s recent blog post in which she shot back at accusations that she didn’t take interest in Frankel’s charitable efforts.
“I’m glad to see my friend Bethenny step outside her affluent bubble, with her stream of rich boyfriends, rich friends with private planes, million dollar homes, and five-star resort vacations,” Radziwill wrote. “One gets the impression this is the first time she’s witnessed real poverty. It can be life-changing. I know it was for me, many years ago when I first covered tragedies as a journalist. The shock of having, then losing, one’s home and all its possessions (and having the guts and dignity to soldier on) is awe-inspiring. It is partly why I quietly give money to charities and political campaigns I believe will make a difference in the world. And why, years ago, I created my own charitable foundation.”
“It is a good use of celebrity, and I hope this journey will make Bethenny a wiser and kinder person closer to home too,” Radziwill added. “From the looks of it, she’s got a ways to go.”
