Nine years after Bethenny Frankel’s separation from Jason Hoppy, the Real Housewives of New York City alum no longer has to pay her ex-husband child support.
“After having been awarded full legal custody of Bryn in 2020, [Bethenny] now has been awarded primary residential custody of Bryn as well,” Frankel’s rep told Us Weekly on Wednesday, December 8. “She is also no longer required to pay direct child support.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz ruled on Wednesday that the former reality star, 51, can stop those payments since the former couple’s 11-year-old daughter, Bryn, has chosen to primarily live with her mom despite her parents’ 50/50 custody agreement, according to Page Six. The former Bravo personality’s lawyer, Allan Mayefsky, also reportedly asked for changes to be made to the custody schedule.
“We have to put in a schedule that Bryn can be comfortable with that the court can order so we don’t have these constant fights going on,” Mayefsky said during a video hearing. “We need to recognize that Ms. Frankel is the primary parent. … She should not be paying child support at this point.”
Frankel noted that even with a schedule in place, their preteen is “a living, breathing thing and she won’t always go,” adding, “I want her to see her father. I know how important it is for a child to have a good relationship with both parents.”
Hoppy, also 51, read a statement during the hearing and chose not to oppose his ex-wife’s requests.
“This is not a Bryn issue or an issue that Bryn has with me,” the pharmaceutical sales executive said, explaining that his child has suffered from anxiety, hyperventilation and hives due to her parents’ conflict. “Therefore I’m removing myself of this fight for Bryn and my physical, emotional and mental health. I will not spend the remainder of Bryn’s childhood fighting as we share joint physical custody. Bryn knows I love her, I want her and I will always be available for our time together.”
The former real estate agent and Frankel got married in March 2010 in New York, welcoming Bryn two months later. Although the duo called it quits in 2012 and settled on custody two years later, their divorce wasn’t finalized until January of this year. Frankel sued Hoppy for full custody of their daughter in 2018, and that trial began in 2019 and has yet to be resolved.
While Frankel used to feel “guilty” for not spending every second with her daughter, her mindset changed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Now, you’re home with your kids all day,” the Naturally Thin author said of Bryn in March. “There is no perfect child or perfect parent. You have to go with your gut, just like in business.”
The New York native is currently engaged to Paul Bernon, whom she met on a dating app in 2018.