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Bethenny Frankel
Frankel in 2009
Born (1970-11-04) November 4, 1970 (age 54)
New York City, U.S.
EducationBoston University
New York University (BA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Reality Television Personality
  • Tik Tokker
  • Entrepreneur
  • Philanthropist
  • Social Media Reviewer
  • Author
Years active1993–present
Spouses
Peter Sussman
​
​
(m. 1996; div. 1997)​
Jason Hoppy
​
​
(m. 2010; div. 2021)​
PartnerPaul Bernon (2018–2024)
Children1
Parents
Websitebethenny.com

Bethenny Frankel (born November 4, 1970)[1] is an American television personality, TikToker, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and author.[2] She was the runner-up on the NBC reality competition series The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005. Frankel is best known as an original cast member of the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, starring in eight of the 14 seasons since its 2008 premiere. Her spin-off series Bethenny Ever After aired three seasons from 2010–2012, and Bethenny & Fredrik aired one season in 2018. She also headlined the Fox daytime talk show Bethenny (2013–2014) and the HBO Max reality competition series The Big Shot with Bethenny (2021).

Outside of her work in television, Frankel is the founder of Skinnygirl, a lifestyle brand, and BStrong, a philanthropic organization that has provided disaster relief. She is also the author of four self-help books, the host of two podcasts and a YouTuber.[3][4]

Early life

[edit]

Frankel is the only child of Robert J. Frankel, a horse trainer, and Bernadette Birk, an interior designer and college professor.[5][6] Her father was German-Jewish, whereas her mother was a Roman Catholic Italian who converted to Judaism.[7][8][9] Her parents divorced when Frankel was four years old. When she was five, her mother married horse trainer John Parisella.[5] Frankel describes her childhood as difficult.[5] Frankel says her mother "was always drinking" and often argued violently with her stepfather.[5]

Frankel moved many times and attended multiple schools before attending boarding school. She graduated in 1988 from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[10] She attended Boston University for two years, and graduated with a degree in psychology and communications from New York University.[11] She later attended the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City.[12]

Career

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Early career and television

[edit]

In 1992, Frankel moved to Los Angeles with hopes of being an actor. While she landed some small acting roles, she worked as an assistant to Kathy Hilton, sometimes taking her daughters Paris and Nikki out for ice cream or picking them up from school. She was also a personal assistant to Jerry Bruckheimer and Linda Bruckheimer.[13] During this time, Frankel also worked as a production assistant on the set of Saved by the Bell.[14] Frankel used these connections to start her first company, called "In Any Event", a party-planning business, which was short-lived.[13] Her next entrepreneurial enterprise was Princess Pashmina, a business selling pashmina scarves she bought wholesale from an Indian manufacturer.[13]

In 2003, Frankel started BethennyBakes, a baking business that made egg-free, wheat-free and dairy-free cookies and meal delivery in New York City. It was featured on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, a reality competition series, in 2005, in which Frankel was the first runner-up to the competition winner.[13][15][16][17] BethennyBakes closed in 2006. Frankel became a spokesperson for Pepperidge Farms low-calorie line of bread.[13][16]

In 2008, Frankel began starring in the reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, which premiered in March on Bravo.[18] In June 2010, Frankel appeared in the Bravo reality series Bethenny Getting Married? (later retitled Bethenny Ever After), which documented her engagement and marriage to Jason Hoppy as well as the birth of their daughter. The series premiere was Bravo's highest-rated at the time, garnering 2.1 million viewers.[19] In September 2010, Frankel announced her exit from The Real Housewives of New York City following its third season.[20] In November, she competed in the reality competition series Skating with the Stars and finished in second place.[21]

Frankel in 2009

Frankel taped the pilot of a talk show, Bethenny, in June 2011.[22] The syndicated daytime talk show was created and co-produced by Ellen DeGeneres. It had a test run in 2012 in limited markets, and officially premiered in September 2013.[23] It was canceled in February 2014 after one season, although episodes continued to run since 170 were taped.[24] Frankel rejoined The Real Housewives of New York City for its seventh season, which premiered in April 2015.[25]

In March 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported Frankel had signed a deal with MGM Television and its chairman, Mark Burnett, to produce and star in future unscripted television projects.[26] Frankel starred in the HBO Max reality competition series titled The Big Shot with Bethenny, which she also produced alongside Burnett. The series featured "aspiring business moguls compete for a job on Frankel's executive team."[27] The show underperformed, and in June 2021, Frankel announced she no longer had a deal with MGM Television.[28] In August of the same year, she announced her departure from The Real Housewives of New York City.[29]

In 2022, the Jewish Journal named Frankel one of "The Top 10 Jewish Reality TV Stars of All Time".[30]

Skinnygirl

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In one of her earliest activities in philanthropy, Frankel posed nude for a PETA billboard in September 2009 for its "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign, which used celebrities and other personalities.[31]

In March 2009, Frankel's book, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, was published. The SkinnyGirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, was published in December of the same year. In spring 2010, she released an exercise DVD, Body by Bethenny, and an audiobook, The Skinnygirl Rules, which summarized her two prior books.[32] In 2011, Frankel published A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life. In December 2012, she published a novel, Skinnydipping.[33][34][better source needed]

Frankel created a pre-packaged margarita line named Skinnygirl Margarita in 2009. This was the foundation product for Skinnygirl Cocktails. The cocktail line was sold to Beam Global for a reported $120 million in 2011,[35] but Frankel kept the Skinnygirl brand name to sell a variety of foods including dips, shakes, candy, deli meat, sweeteners, jellies, popcorn, and salad dressings. She sells Skinnygirl shapewear, apparel, and accessories on the Home Shopping Network.[36] Frankel developed a Skinnygirl cookware line sold at TJMaxx and Marshalls stores, which premiered in 2021.[37]

Philanthropy and activism

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Frankel is the founder of BStrong, a philanthropic arm originally formed to assist women, which has increasingly participated in disaster relief around the world.[38] In 2017, the organization raised $300,000 in donations and supplies for the victims of Hurricane Harvey,[39] after which Frankel visited Houston, Texas to distribute these items.[40] In the same year, Frankel traveled to Mexico City and Jojutla, Mexico following the Puebla earthquake to raise awareness for the disaster's recovery efforts, for which BStrong also raised $150,000.[39][41] Also in the same year, Frankel chartered four planes to Puerto Rico and distributed medical supplies, food, water, and hygiene products in assisting with Hurricane Maria relief efforts.[42] In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, BStrong raised funds and delivered personal protective equipment such as masks, goggles, gowns, and sheets to hospitals in the U.S.[43] During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, she supported Ukraine with humanitarian aid.[44]

In the wake of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Frankel called for reality television personalities to go on strike and to unionize.[45] She stated that reality television personalities are subject to exploitation and intense scrutiny and deserve increased protection and worker's rights.[46] Frankel's proposals for a union would call for reality television personalities to earn residual-like payments, a minimum wage of $5,000 per episodic appearance with a raise for each season, retrospective compensation, and the freedom to quit filming at any time without risking financial penalty.[45][47] Frankel has enlisted attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos to investigate the problematic treatment of reality television personalities.[48]

Personal life

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In a November 2022 episode of her podcast, Just B With Bethenny Frankel, Frankel described her religious identity thus: "I grew up with a stepfather who was Catholic, so I also went to church. I've had a sort of mutt upbringing of religion and thus ended up not being religious at all but being spiritual and cultural. So culturally, many people would think that I am Jewish. I have a last name that's Jewish. I have family that's Jewish. I am Jewish." During that same podcast, she criticized musical artist Kanye West for antisemitic comments he had recently made.[30][49]

Frankel was married to entertainment executive Peter Sussman from 1996 to 1997.[50] In March 2010, she married pharmaceutical sales executive Jason Hoppy. They have one daughter.[51] After the couple separated in December 2012, Frankel filed for divorce in January 2013.[52] A temporary custody agreement was reached in June 2014, followed by a financial settlement in July 2016.[53][54] However, due to ongoing litigation over child custody, Frankel and Hoppy's divorce was not finalized until January 2021.[55]

Frankel dated banker Dennis Shields from 2016 to August 2018, when Shields was found dead of an apparent accidental overdose of pain medication after back surgery. Although Shields proposed to Frankel in April 2018 and she wore his engagement ring, the relationship was off-again, on-again for its duration.[56] She met film producer and commercial real estate developer Paul Bernon[57] on a dating app in 2018 and they were engaged in 2021, but Frankel said she ended the relationship after nearly six years because she was not happy.[58]

Frankel has a severe fish allergy and was hospitalized in December 2018 after consuming soup that contained fish.[59] She has since advocated airlines stop serving fish, stating that it is a hazard to passengers with fish allergies to be in the presence of cooked seafood in an enclosed commercial airline jet.[60]

Filmography

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As herself

[edit]
Year Title Notes Ref.
2005 The Apprentice: Martha Stewart Runner-up; 13 episodes
2008–10,
2015–19 		The Real Housewives of New York City Main cast; seasons 1–3, 7–11
2009 Z Rock Episode: "I Wanna Be Z-dated"
2010–12 Chelsea Lately Guest; various episodes
2010 Skating with the Stars Runner-up; 6 episodes
2010–21 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest; various episodes
2010–12 Bethenny Ever After Main cast
2013–14 Bethenny Host
2016, 2018 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Guest; seasons 6 and 8
2016 Beat Bobby Flay Guest judge; season 10
2017 Million Dollar Listing New York Guest
2017–19 Shark Tank Guest Shark; 5 episodes
2017 Bethenny & Fredrik Main cast
2018 Bar Rescue Episode: "Operation: Puerto Rico"
2020-present Just B Podcaster [61]
2021 The Big Shot with Bethenny Herself
2022 Beat Bobby Flay Guest host; episode: "Fancy Pants"
2022-present ReWives Podcaster [3]
2022 Money Court Host
2023 BetheNeNe Host [62]

As actress

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1993 Soiree Sans Hors D'oeuvres Woman Minor role
1994 Hollywood Hills 90028 Laura Drake Lead role
1995 Wish Me Luck Bridgette
2013 The Neighbors Jill Episode 21: "Mo Purses Mo Money Mo Problems"
2024 Danger in The Dorm Joanne Leading Role [63]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting (ISBN 978-1416597988, 2009)
  • The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life (ISBN 978-1416597995, 2009)
  • Body by Bethenny: Body-sculpting Workouts to Unleash Your SkinnyGirl (ISBN 978-1-59828-440-9, 2010)
  • A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life (ISBN 978-1439186916, 2011)
  • Skinnydipping: A Novel (ISBN 978-1451667387, 2012)
  • Skinnygirl Solutions: Simple Ideas, Extraordinary Results (ISBN 978-1451667400, 2014)
  • Cookie Meets Peanut (ISBN 978-0316368438, 2014)
  • Skinnygirl Cocktails : 100 Fabulous and Flirty Cocktail Recipes and Party Foods for Any Occasion, Without the Guilt (ISBN 1476773025, 2014)
  • I Suck at Relationships So You Don't Have To: 10 Rules for Not Screwing Up Your Happily Ever After (ISBN 978-1451667424, 2016)

References

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  1. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 4-10". The Associated Press. October 29, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "Corona Chronicles: Bethenny Frankel's BStrong Donates Test Kits, An Actor Reveals Diagnosis, and Other Personal Stories". Variety. April 3, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Bethenny Frankel Revisits Housewives in New Rewatch Podcast: 'This Is Where It Started for Me'". People. November 4, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "Bethenny Frankel talks YouTube series, if she'll get married again". TODAY. June 2, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d McNeil, Liz (July 19, 2010). "Bethenny Frankel: Love Saved My Life". People. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  6. ^ New York Daily News: "'Real Housewives of New York City' star Bethenny Frankel and husband Jason Hoppy separating" By Bill Hutchinson December 23, 2012
  7. ^ "After Show: All About Baby". bravotv.com. October 28, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  8. ^ Video Interview on BravoTV: "After Show: All About Baby – Part V: Bethenny talks about her religious background and the most important thing Baby Bryn has taught her" Retrieved July 4, 2012 "My father was Jewish. The story goes – because you know I am not that close to my family, I am not there for the real history lessons – He married my mother and she converted to Judaism for him. She was Catholic but then she was with my stepfather for all those years. I went to Catholic school and I know more about that.",
  9. ^ Bethenny Frankel (March 22, 2011). A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life. Simon and Schuster. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-4391-8692-3. My mother had gone off to Wales for several months...her family is from Wales – very poor people who lived in shacks and raised pigeons
  10. ^ Pinecrest Alumni newsletter Archived September 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 12, 2012
  11. ^ Casserly, Meghan (October 13, 2011). "Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Deal: The Numbers Still Hold Up". Forbes.
  12. ^ "Bethenny Frankel". People. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c d e Casserly, Meghan (May 18, 2011). "Can Bethenny Crack A Billion?". Forbes.
  14. ^ "Bethenny Frankel Shares Photo From 'Saved By The Bell' Set". HuffPost. June 26, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  15. ^ Fallon, Kevin (April 7, 2015). "The Second Coming of Bethenny Frankel". The Daily Beast.
  16. ^ a b Sun, John-John Williams IV, The Baltimore (March 11, 2011). "Bethenny Frankel: The Healthy 'Housewife'". Baltimore Sun.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Garfinkel, Jacki (August 24, 2006). "Bethenny Frankel: A Reality Star One Year Later". Media Village. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  18. ^ Lowry, Brian (March 3, 2008). "The Real Housewives of New York". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  19. ^ Kellogg, Jane (December 23, 2012). "Bethenny Frankel and Husband Jason Hoppy Separate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  20. ^ Thomas, Devon (September 2, 2010). "Bethenny Frankel: I'm Leaving 'The Real Housewives of New York City'". CBS News. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  21. ^ Carlson, Adam (October 21, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel on Real Housewives Return: What She's Been Doing". Time. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  22. ^ Bruce, Leslie (June 15, 2011). "Bethenny Frankel Already Taping Talk Show Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  23. ^ Block, Alex Ben (August 2, 2013). "Bethenny Frankel on Her New Show, Being 'Polarizing' and Why She's Reducing the Sex Talk". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 14, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show Cancelled". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  25. ^ Emery, Debbie (April 7, 2015). "Bethenny Frankel's Back as 'Real Housewives of New York' Returns With a Bang (Video)". TheWrap. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  26. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 19, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Makes Production Deal With MGM TV & Mark Burnett". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  27. ^ Porter, Rick (February 19, 2020). "Bethenny Frankel to Topline HBO Max Competition Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Aurthur, Kate (June 10, 2021). "Bethenny Frankel on 'The Big Shot,' Podcasting and What She Misses About 'Real Housewives'". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  29. ^ Hipes, Patrick; Petski, Denise (August 21, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Exits 'Real Housewives Of New York' Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Zeitlin, Alan (December 23, 2022). "The Top 10 Jewish Reality TV Stars of All Time". Jewish Journal.
  31. ^ Hall, Katy (December 15, 2009). "Bethenny Frankel: Nude For PETA". HuffPost. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  32. ^ "Bethenny Frankel's Tips on Staying Slim, Sexy, and Fabulous". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  33. ^ Unknown Author Skinnydipping World Cat, accessed December 18, 2012
  34. ^ Frankel, Bethenny; Adamson, Eve (July 29, 2017). Skinnydipping. Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. OCLC 745978976.
  35. ^ Bruce, Leslie (October 13, 2011). "Furious Bethenny Frankel Denies Claims She Inflated Skinnygirl Payday (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  36. ^ Quinn, Dave (May 2, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Decides to Sell Part of Her Skinnygirl Empire on RHONY: 'I Need a Break'". People. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  37. ^ What's COOKING?👩🏻‍🍳 My new line of Skinnygirl cookware and bakeware is GOOD LOOKING!!!🍳 Now available, exclusively in store at T.J.Maxx and... | By Bethenny FrankelFacebook. Retrieved August 23, 2024 – via www.facebook.com.
  38. ^ Locke, Taylor (March 16, 2020). "How Bethenny Frankel works from home: 'You can get a lot more done'". CNBC. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  39. ^ a b Kimble, Lindsay; McNeil, Liz (September 25, 2017). "Bethenny Frankel Travels to Mexico to Aid Earthquake Survivors: 'To Say They Have Nothing Is an Understatement'". People. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  40. ^ Drew, Ian (September 11, 2017). "A 'Housewife' Heads to Hurricane Harvey-Ravaged Houston: 'This Is a Crisis'". Variety. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  41. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie; McNeil, Liz (October 6, 2017). "Bethenny Frankel Charters 4 Planes to Aid Hurricane Maria Victims in Puerto Rico: 'It Is a War Zone'". People. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  42. ^ Ryan, Lisa (October 3, 2017). "Bethenny Frankel Is on the Ground Providing Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico". The Cut. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  43. ^ Real, Evan (March 26, 2020). "Inside Bethenny Frankel's Fight to Help Those Impacted by Coronavirus: "We're Working 24 Hours a Day"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  44. ^ Brown, Evan Nicole (March 24, 2022). "Bethenny Frankel on Ukraine Crisis Aid, BStrong Philanthropic Initiative". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  45. ^ a b Malkin, Marc (July 20, 2023). "Bethenny Frankel Calls for Reality Stars Union: 'Networks and Streamers Have Been Exploiting People for Too Long' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  46. ^ "Bethenny Frankel calls for a reality-star strike aimed at ending further exploitation". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  47. ^ "Reality TV Performers Need a Union, Housewives of NY Star Says". Bloomberg. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  48. ^ Malkin, Marc (July 28, 2023). "Bethenny Frankel Enlists Power Attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos in Fight for Reality Star Protections: 'This Is Going to Be a War' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  49. ^ Jackson, Jon (November 2, 2022). "Bethenny Frankel says the word 'Jew' has become 'very controversial'". Newsweek. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  50. ^ Owoseje, Toyin (August 11, 2018). "Who is Bethenny Frankel? RHONY star mourning boyfriend found dead in Trump Tower". The Independent. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  51. ^ Carpentier, Fran (July 12, 2010). "Parade Magazine interview with Bethenny Frankel: "Bethenny Frankel: 'My Mother Hasn't Expressed Any Interest in Meeting Bryn'"". Parade. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  52. ^ Kellogg, Jane (January 6, 2013). "Bethenny Frankel Officially Files for Divorce From Jason Hoppy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  53. ^ Blumm, K. c. (June 4, 2014). "Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy's Custody Case Settled". People. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  54. ^ McNeil, Liz; Corinthos, Aurelie (July 18, 2016). "Bethenny Frankel Settles Nearly 4-Year Divorce Battle with Ex Jason Hoppy". People. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  55. ^ Cohen, Jess (March 23, 2021). "Bethenny Frankel Sparks Engagement Rumors as She Finalizes Divorce From Jason Hoppy". E! Online. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  56. ^ "Bethenny Frankel Says She Was Told Dennis Shields 'Fell and Hit His Head' the Day Before Dying". Peoplemag. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  57. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie; McNeil, Liz (March 23, 2021). "Bethenny Frankel Engaged to Paul Bernon After Finalizing Divorce from Jason Hoppy". People. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  58. ^ "Bethenny Frankel Met Fiancé Paul Bernon on a Dating App: 'He Came Better Than Advertised'". Peoplemag. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  59. ^ Merrett, Robyn; McNeil, Liz (December 17, 2018). "Bethenny Frankel Suffers a Near-Fatal Allergic Reaction to Fish: 'I Thought I Had a Stroke'". People. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  60. ^ Roberts, Madison (January 24, 2019). "Bethenny Frankel Had Another Health Scare After Fish Is Slated to Be Served on Her Flight. Again". People. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  61. ^ Chuba, Kirsten (July 7, 2020). "Bethenny Frankel Launches Self-Made Mogul Podcast 'Just B' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  62. ^ "Bethenny Frankel and NeNe Leakes Announce Limited Series". Yahoo Entertainment. October 20, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  63. ^ "Bethenny Frankel Joins Lifetime Movie 'Danger in the Dorm' (EXCLUSIVE)". February 18, 2022.
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