Bethenny Frankel got emotional when reflecting on her 10-year divorce from ex-husband Jason Hoppy.
“I have seen my mother slit her wrists. I have lived my whole life chasing her into bathrooms, trying to catch her throwing up. I’ve been around guns, the mafia, the race track. I’ve been through everything,” Frankel, 55, said during Wednesday, December 3, appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “I have seen everything. Nothing compares to what my divorce was for 10 years.”
Frankel, who detailed her rough childhood earlier on in the podcast, said her mother’s mental health issues were “child’s play” compared to the “trauma” she endured during her divorce.
“It was so traumatic. It was 10 years of my life, I lost hair. I thought I would never survive it. I didn’t want to,” she continued, holding back tears. “I had to because of my daughter. I literally thought I’ll never be happy again.”
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Frankel did not mention her ex by name, but the former Real Housewives of New York City star was embroiled in a 10-year public divorce from Hoppy, 55. The two were married from March 2010 to December 2012. The former couple’s divorce went on for years as they fought over the terms of their split. Custody over daughter Bryn, now 15, was a major point of contention. News broke in March 2021 that their divorce had been finalized for two months.
“I treated it like a marathon, and I went one mile at a time, and I checked every box,” she said, alleging that “it was fraud, it was stealing, it was hacking, it was harassment, it was abuse.”
Hoppy was arrested in 2017 after he allegedly threatened Frankel after showing up at Bryn’s school. Hoppy was issued a six-month order, which barred him from contacting his ex-wife. Frankel sued Hoppy for custody in 2019 and a judge signed off on their divorce. Details about the custody agreement have not been made public.
“It was torture,” Frankel claimed during Wednesday’s podcast episode. “Literally, the only thing that got me through was saying, ‘One day I’ll be able to help people.’ It was millions of dollars — that’s not even important. … It was torment from one minute to the last minute of the 10th year.”
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She added, “Every woman needs to know, do not f*** around and find out. It was the worst thing that I could ever wish upon a person.”
Frankel offered advice to women during the podcast episode, suggesting they have a “very clear and good prenup” going into a marriage.
“I cannot express it enough, because when you want to be out of something, you have no idea,” she added. (Frankel previously revealed that she initially did not want a prenup for her marriage.)
While Frankel “never talked bad” about Hoppy in front of their daughter, the former Bravo star believes Bryn “felt” the bad energy.
“Just because you’re not saying it in front of the child, and it doesn’t mean they don’t feel,” she said, “You should never, ever say a bad thing about the other parent, ever, because it is the worst thing you could do to a child. I have navigated it by always telling her that she is loved, and letting her know a lot about what my childhood was like, because everybody has something and things make you stronger.”
