Bethenny Frankel Says Decade-Long Divorce Was the Most Painful Experience of Her Life

Bethenny Frankel is opening up more candidly than ever about the decade-long divorce battle that she says became the most painful experience of her life. The 55-year-old entrepreneur and former Real Housewives of New York City star spoke on the latest episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, where she described the emotional toll of her split from ex-husband Jason Hoppy.

Frankel didn’t hold back when Cooper asked about the breakup. She said “nothing” in her difficult childhood or early adulthood prepared her for the “torment” she endured during the divorce. Her comments revealed a depth of pain she had never publicly detailed to this extent.

“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, and the race track. I’ve been through everything,” Frankel said. She continued, “I’ve seen her beaten within an inch of her life. I have seen everything. Nothing compares to what my divorce was for 10 years. Nothing.”

Her relationship with her mother has long been known to be complicated, and she has spoken before about the instability she experienced growing up. But on the podcast, Frankel said that even those traumatic events did not come close to the emotional devastation she felt while ending her marriage to Hoppy.

She described the prolonged legal battle as consuming and overwhelming. “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 admitted. Despite reaching moments where she felt hopeless, she said she pushed through for her daughter. “I had to because of my daughter. I literally thought, ‘I’ll never be happy again.’”

Frankel also told Cooper that her mother’s alcoholism—something that shaped much of her youth—felt minor in comparison to what she experienced during the divorce. She referred to her childhood struggles as “child’s play” next to the trauma of her legal fight with Hoppy. The lengthy process included bitter custody disputes, extensive court proceedings, and an ongoing conflict that stretched far beyond their two-year marriage.

Bethenny and Jason announced their separation in December 2012, two years after they wed. They share one daughter, Bryn, who is now 15. Their custody battle lasted years, with both sides levelling accusations and filing motions that kept their case active long after most celebrity divorces conclude. Frankel rarely spoke in detail about the strain while it was happening, but her latest comments make clear the impact it had on her personal well-being.

During the interview, Frankel didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the legal process but emphasized the emotional fallout. She said the experience drained her physically and mentally, eroding her sense of stability over nearly a decade. While she has been publicly successful in business and media, she suggested that her private life during that period was defined by constant stress.

Despite the bleak memories, Frankel credited her daughter for giving her a reason to keep going. Her comments suggested that becoming a mother reshaped her priorities and helped her endure the darkest moments of the divorce.

Frankel has since rebuilt her life, expanding her business ventures and stepping away from Real Housewives. But on Call Her Daddy, she made it clear that the scars from her marriage’s end will always be part of her story. Her willingness to share them now signals a chapter she may finally feel ready to close.

Bethenny Frankel’s Marriages and Divorces

Media personality, businesswoman, and former “Real Housewives of New York City” star Bethenny Frankel has experienced two well-known and tumultuous marriages. Her first marriage, to Peter Sussman in 1996, ended in divorce in 1999 after less than three years. This early affair was mostly kept secret until Frankel gained notoriety. Her second and most famous marriage was to businessman Jason Hoppy, whom she met in 2008 and married in a televised ceremony in 2010. Their relationship, which resulted in the birth of their daughter Bryn, rapidly declined after their separation in 2012.

What followed was a very protracted, contentious, and well-reported divorce battle that lasted more than ten years and included intense custody disputes and legal fighting until being settled in 2021. Since then, Frankel and Paul Bernon have been engaged since 2018, their relationship status has lately altered, and they have called off their engagement at least once.

Bethenny Frankel’s Film & Television Career

Although Bethenny Frankel has made several notable forays into the film and scripted television industries, her most well-known roles are as a reality TV star, best-selling author, and business magnate behind the Skinnygirl brand. Instead of reality TV, her film career began in the late 1990s and early 2000s with supporting roles in funny films and cameos in comedies. She had notable appearances as a stylist in movies including “The Cookout” (2004) and “Hannah Montana: The Movie” (2009).

She appeared as a guest on television programs such as “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” and even “Punk’d.” But what truly made her famous was her breakout role as a cunning, aspirational businesswoman in the first season of “The Real Housewives of New York City” (2008). This success led to several spin-off reality series, including “Bethenny Getting Married?” and “Bethenny Ever After,” which chronicled her marriage, motherhood, and divorce. Frankel later returned to RHONY full-time, solidifying her status as a pivotal character on the show.