The Real Housewives of New York City‘s Bethenny Frankel is in the news right now (not that she ever left) for bravely taking on the reality TV industry and the man himself – Andy Cohen. Her career trajectory has been nothing short of phenomenal. From her first appearance on the popular reality show and successful run as a personal chef to her own cocktail company and multiple books, there are no flies on Frankel.
But her story is not without drama. And in the 11th season of RHONY, we learned of the passing of Dennis Shields.
Frankel and Shields started dating in 2016, after knowing each other for almost 30 years. He proposed to her in April of 2018 and reportedly gave Bethenny’s daughter — Bryn Hoppy — a silver ring with a heart. Bethenny was non-committal and did not give Dennis an answer at that time.
Dennis’ passing came at a stressful time for Bethenny, as she was trying to settle up her divorce and custody battle with Jason Hoppy — a relationship we watched play out in season 3 of RHONY. But one aspect of Frankel’s life that we don’t know much about is the child who came out of that union – Bryn.
How old is Bryn Hoppy?
In a Today with Hoda and Jenna interview last month, we got to meet Bryn for the first time. At just 13, she had the comfort and ease in front of the camera of an old pro, and handled the questions with poise and charm.
When asked what Frankel is like as a mother, Hoppy replied, “Crazy.” She also claimed that her mom is “strict,” is fond of saying, “shut the program down,” and that “you reach a point, and then you get really mad.” I think the takeaway from those statements are that Frankel is a patient mom, but that Bryn sees her negotiating the world around them and the challenges that a successful woman endures, and eventually reaching a breaking point. I admire her keeping the cameras away from her daughter all these years.
Named after her late uncle Bryan — whose nickname was Bryn — we can keep up with her through her mom’s Instagram posts. Frankel frequently posts tributes to her daughter, as well as videos of the two of them dancing and just generally being cheeky. That’ll have to be enough for now, until Hoppy gets her own social media accounts. We’ll keep you posted.