Bethenny Frankel Reveals She Was Punched In The Face On Streets Of NYC
By Melanie VanDerveer on March 28, 2024 at 8:30 AM EDT
This week alone, multiple women have revealed they've been randomly punched in the face while walking down the street in New York City.
Seeing one of the videos on TikTok, "Real Housewives of New York" alum Bethenny Frankel revealed she was also punched in the face on the streets of NYC.
Bethenny Frankel Revealed In A TikTok Comment That She Was Punched In the Face
The reality star must have a similar FYP on TikTok as many of us do because she came across one of the videos from a woman who was randomly punched in the face earlier this week and commented on it.
"This is insane bc this happened to me a few months ago but I was embarrassed to say. I was on the UWS [Upper West Side]. Insane. I was taking a video of a bakery," she wrote in the comment section of Mikayla Toninato's video.
Shortly after sharing that news, the comment was deleted. Page Six was able to get a screenshot of the comment before it was deleted. It's unclear if Frankel deleted her comment or the creator of the video.
Frankel is not currently in New York City as these women are sharing their disturbing stories. She's been in Australia for the past few weeks on a speaking tour, along with her daughter, Bryn.
Mikayla Toninato Shared Her Story In A Viral TikTok Video Earlier This Week
Toninato was just one of many women who came forward on the social media app to tell her disturbing story of being punched while walking down the street in NYC.
"So I just got punched in the face walking home. I was literally like leaving class, I turned the corner and I was looking down, and I was looking at my phone and texting. And then out of nowhere, this man just came up and hit me in the face," she said. "I'm actually in shock right now. I'm just like walking home because what else do you do?"
She ended her video with a warning for anyone in the city.
"I guess if you're in New York right now and you're walking while looking at your phone," she said. "Maybe don't do that."
Her video went viral with more than 12 million views and 34,000 comments.
"This is my third face punch video today. What is going on?" one viewer wrote in the comments. Another added, "Someone is gonna really, really get hurt. I hope you call the police and the police should do something. This is crazy in New York. SCARY."
See video here.
Halley Kate Also Shared Her Story On TikTok This Week
Another NYC woman, Halley Kate, also shared her story about being punched while walking down the street.
"You guys. I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face," she began the video that quickly went viral. "It hurts so bad. I can't even talk. Literally, I fell to the ground, and now this giant goose egg is forming, and I'm like, oh my God. So crazy."
Her video currently has more than 46 million views and 21,000 comments. Many viewers were seeing her video just after seeing others who also were punched in the face.
"Wait! I just watched a lady saying the same thing!!" one viewer shared.
Halley Kate Shared A Few Update Videos
Halley shared a few follow up videos after her initial one that shared more of the story.
"I was just walking on the sidewalk, and my head was down, and I was like looking at my phone, just sending an email. But there was so much room on the sidewalk and literally nobody was around, and I guess this man, I don't know if he punched me or if he elbowed me. I literally passed out," she said.
"I think he just was really mad that my head was down. He was walking his dog, so he took it upon himself to body check me and let me know to be conscious of my surroundings."
She further explained that after being punched, she fell to the ground and "blacked out for a second." When she got up, the man was screaming at her, so she ran away out of fear.
In another update video, she explained that she did file a police report and did go to urgent care to get checked out.
One viewer suggested, "Please go to nearby businesses and check if they have security cameras!!!"
Halley Kate Shared Another Video To 'Clear A Couple Things Up'
Halley felt it was important to "clear a couple things up" since she said she's now "the face of this narrative that New York City is really scary and dangerous."
"I am not here to argue that New York City can be really scary at times, but I have lived here for six years and I've never had anything even remotely similar happen to what happened to me yesterday," she said. "I think the TikTok algorithm yesterday really TikTok algorithmed and it started pumping out a bunch of old videos from girls also saying that they got punched in the face."
She continued to explain that a lot of older videos started popping up, and that by the sounds of the descriptions given of the man who punched them, it didn't sound like it's all the same person.
Halley also said she's not going to change her life because of this one incident, and she doesn't want people to stop visiting the city.
Many viewers applauded Halley for her positivity and for bouncing back so quickly.
"I’m actually in awe of you, you have such a positive disposition for someone who was literally ATTACKED!!! I need your positivity," one person shared in the comments.
Another person added, "Love your energy and perspective, glad you did not let that incident change your view or hold you hostage on living life. You’re a gem."