The Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel admitted she’s “not exactly” on cordial terms with her ex-husband Jason Hoppy following their contentious divorce and custody battle.
“We do coexist on this earth. We do both exist on this earth, so that’s positive,” Frankel, 55, quipped on the Tuesday, September 29, episode of the “Friends Keep Secrets” podcast. “It’s been a strained year, it’s been a challenging year.”
Frankel and Hoppy, also 55, got married and welcomed daughter Bryn in 2010. After separating in 2012, the Bravo alum and Hoppy battled over custody of their only child. A judge ultimately ruled in 2021, the same year they finalized their lengthy divorce, that Frankel was no longer required to pay Hoppy child support since Bryn primarily resides with her. (Frankel and Bryn moved to Florida in 2025.)
“There were a lot of circumstances that have been, that are … torture, like, traumatic,” she acknowledged of their coparenting arrangement on Tuesday’s episode. “Like, 10 years [in court for] a two-year marriage and, like, every single branch on the tree [has been affected].”
As for her relationship with Bryn, Frankel gushed that she considers her daughter one of her best friends.
“When you parent, it’s not like you parent and it happens passively. You take long drives, you hang out, you go to dinner,” she explained. “Parents are very transactional and, like, we have the meal and then we drive; it has to flow. I love her so much, [she’s] the best.”
She continued, “When we vibe and we are watching something and we’re laughing, we connect, but sometimes we’re on different paths. We’re very much like Thelma and Louise, [and] we are like roommates in a way.”
Frankel explained that she likens her relationship with Bryn to a roommate since they are in “totally different chapters of [their] lives.”
“We are very connected and we love to be together and we respect each other’s space and what we’re both going through and doing,” she added. “That’s why it feels almost like a roommate in a way. We’re in totally different chapters of our lives, obviously, and we respect each other’s chapters.”
Frankel, however, has found it particularly challenging to raise Bryn amid her life in the limelight.
“I’ve heard about this from therapists, like, it’s my job and I don’t have to apologize for people coming up to me. I mean, everyone has their own thing, and she has a great life, and we don’t get this life without this,” she added. “Like, you can’t take a rose and take the petals and separate them from the thorns. No, but … you just have to be aware that [the thorn] exists.”
