Explaining her Easter tradition! Heather Rae Young defended incorporating bunnies into her and Tarek El Moussa’s family’s Sunday, April 17, celebration.
The Selling Sunset star, 34, posed with her stepchildren — Taylor, 11, and Brayden, 6 — in a Monday, April 18, Instagram photo, showing each of them with a rabbit in their arms.
“I think we may have added a new tradition with the bunnies!!” the Netflix personality told her social media followers at the time. “The kids loved it so much they just lit up when I saw them, and it was a really special thing we did.”
Young disabled comments on the upload, telling her followers on Tuesday, April 19, that she received “lots of nasty” criticism about the animals’ role in her holiday celebration with El Moussa, 40.
“I can’t believe I am having to explain myself,” the reality star wrote via Instagram Stories. “Our whole family are animal lovers, I have been vegan for most of my life, I am very passionate about animals and am always an advocate for ALL animals!! We wanted a fun and cute experience for the kids, so did tons of research and found an amazing local bunny farm with an amazing mission that we wanted to support!”
After describing the “amazing little local business,” Young concluded, “We felt comfortable … creating a fun experience for everyone! … Please refrain from judgment and negativity without knowing the full story. No need for all of the hate and nasty comments!”
El Moussa for his part, gushed about how “cute” it was to see his and ex-wife Christina Hall‘s (née Haack) children playing with the bunnies.
“We started off the day by surprising the kids with real life bunny petting,” the Flip or Flop alum wrote via Instagram on Monday. “The bunnies kept peeing on the kids. After the bunnies, we had to help the kids find 200 eggs in the backyard, we went swimming, played games, and ate so much I can’t eat again until 2023! This was a special Easter.”
The Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa star welcomed Taylor and Brayden with Hall, 38, in 2010 and 2015, respectively. Following their 2016 split, the Flip Your Life author went on to wed Young in October 2021.
The real estate agent was open about her strong bond with her stepchildren ahead of the California nuptials — and now wants babies of her own with her husband.
“We have four embryos that are saved right now,” Young told Daily Pop in February. “Three are the same gender, and they’re all very strong.”
