"I thought I would never survive it": The Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel opens up about her divorce from Jason Hoppy

The Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel recently opened up about her divorce from Jason Hoppy, sharing the effect it had on her mental well-being with the world.

In the December 3, 2025, episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Bethenny revisited her split from Jason, candidly sharing shocking details about its aftermath.

“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. I had to because of my daughter. I literally thought I’ll never be happy again,” she expressed. 

Bethenny added that she had experienced different situations in her life, some life-threatening and others dangerous, but nothing compared to the pain she endured after parting ways with her ex-partner.

The Real Housewives of New York City's former cast member married Jason in March 2010.

They remained together for two years before filing for divorce a month after announcing their split in 2012. Their divorce battle went on for years, with their daughter Bryn’s custody becoming a major point of their conflict. 

Ultimately, it was officialized in early 2021.  

The Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel says her divorce was worse than her mother’s mental health issues

When asked to speak about her public divorce, which went on for 10 years, Bethenny stated that nothing compared to the trauma she experienced during that phase of her life.

To justify her statement, she listed some of her most challenging experiences, convinced that the divorce was still the worst.

“I have seen my mother split her wrists. I have lived my whole chasing her into bathrooms, trying to catch her throwing up, I’ve been around the gun, the mafia, the racetrack, I’ve been through everything… I have seen everything. Nothing compares to what my divorce was for 10 years,” she said.

Bethenny went so far as to say that it was “child’s play” in comparison to what she had to endure with her mother’s health issues.

Bethenny’s mother suffered from self-destructive behavior, an eating disorder, and alcoholism, and ultimately passed away in 2024 due to lung cancer. 

Speaking about the impact of her divorce, Bethenny shared that she was threatened with “torture.”

Since she was the “more successful” one between the two, she was often seen as the “powerhouse tyrant.” Consequently, superficially, she implied that her ex-husband looked like the “victim.”

Bethenny described that period of her life as one of the worst. Despite the challenges and struggles to up her fight, she persevered, thinking about her daughter. 

The Real Housewives of New York City alum shared that she tackled those ten years as a “marathon,” overcoming “one mile at a time.”

“I mean, I checked every box, I mean, it was fraud. It was stealing. It was hacking. It was harassment. It was abuse. It was googling me sixty times a day. It was staying in bed and staring into my face, calling me every bad character in the book – Ursula, the witch, and you’re ugly – it was torture,” she added. 

That said, the reality TV star stated that the only thing that helped her through that phase of her life was her desire to help people. She remained strong, knowing she would be able to help others down the road. 

Bethenny described those ten years as “torment,” and wished no woman had to experience anything close to that ever in their life. 

As for Bryn, Bethenny made sure she always reminded her of how loved she was, so she was shielded from the effects of the divorce.

Stay tuned for more updates.