Bethenny Frankel Explains Why She’s Moving to Florida as RHONY Alum Admits She “Was Drowning” in New York

Bethenny Frankel revealed why she’s moving to Florida with her daughter after cryptically sharing that she did it for “personal and professional reasons.” In 2021, Bethenny finalized her years-long divorce from Jason Hoppy, the father of her child.

Last month, the Real Housewives of New York alum hinted on Instagram that “something has arisen” that triggered her choice to move. She said it was the healthiest decision for herself and her daughter, but she noted that they would keep a residence in New York.

“The morning of March 19th, [my move to Florida] wasn’t even a thought. And then by that evening, a series of events had transpired and we decided it was the best move,” said Bethenny on TikTok. “Within five weeks, [we] had sold and bought a home in both places. We’ll keep this apartment [in New York], but sold my home, bought a place in Florida and unbraided everything.”

“Where I was living was drowning me because it was just the two of us and it was a massive property,” said Bethenny, who added that she bought the property when she was in a “different stage” in her life. “I thought it would be like this big sort of family home and that I’d be entertaining there a lot … And what ended up happening was the house was drowning me because it had an apple orchard and was a historical house.”

She continued, “It just ended up being a place that I spent a lot of time alone cause I didn’t know really many people in that community and I was fairly lonely. And it’s kind of what started [my TikTok]. Because I was home alone. I was Macaulay Culkin.”

According to Bethenny, it wasn’t what she pictured.

“The idea of something was different than the reality of it. The fantasy of something was different than the reality. And that whole time is sort of like a pandemic and post-pandemic blur where I was like in purgatory,” she added. “And I was going to wait until my daughter [goes] to college … [but] something else was affecting her. And neither of us would say it out loud … So the minute that it became a decision about her, I was able to really be honest with myself about how I felt. And it kind of freed both of us.”

“A year ago, I went through a breakup … and my mother died. And so it’s been a lot the last couple years,” she said. “I’m excited for this next chapter to share with you. And also to thank you for helping me get through that challenging time, cause I was super alone and lonely and [my TikTok] was a nice outlet. And it did change my life in many ways.”