Entertainment

Who Has Custody Of Bethenny's Daughter Bryn?

I try not to be a nosy Parker, but, when a divorce is as contentious as the one between Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel and her soon-to-be-ex-husband Jason Hoppy, I start finding myself with a whole host of questions, like who has custody of Bryn Hoppy? Given that Bethenny and Jason's divorce proceedings are ongoing, I was half expecting the short answer to be "nobody." Not that I thought Bryn was running around an empty New York City apartment somewhere living that Home Alone life, but I assumed that, if a divorce settlement hadn't been reached, then a custody arrangement hadn't been settled on either. But, actually, it was one of the first things they took care of, which I guess makes sense. We're talking about the future of a 5-year old girl; it's probably best to get that figured out right up top.

Just to catch you up, Jason and Bethenny got married back in March 2010, months after announcing their engagement and pregnancy a few days apart, in October 2009. Then, Bryn Hoppy was born in May 2010. Just a few years later, in December 2012, Bethenny announced that the pair was splitting, and things quickly got contentious, with Bethenny seeking sole custody of their daughter. That battle dragged on for months, before finally getting settled in June 2014. The details of the decision are confidential, so we don't know exactly how things turned out, but sources say that Jason won "equal time with and decision-making authority," suggesting that Bethenny's petition for sole custody was denied.

It's a rumor that's also supported by the statement issued by Jason's attorney Bernard Clair, who said, "My client is delighted that this custody battle has been resolved; that his co-parenting status has been acknowledged; that the parties' child will have the benefit of being raised by both parents; and most importantly, that his daughter will no longer be at the mercy of a high-profile courtroom battle."

We can't be exactly sure, but that "co-parenting" line seems to hint that Jason Hoppy shares joint custody of Bryn with Bethenny Frankel, so that's the line I'm going with.