Do not come for this mom boss! Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel showed up in court on Tuesday, May 14, to face off against her ex-husband, Jason Hoppy, in their long and drawn-out custody battle over their 9-year-old daughter, Bryn. Frankel, 48, took the stand for a second time this week, and she was forced to defend herself and her social media habits as she was questioned by Hoppy’s lawyer, Robert Wallack.

Wallack picked up where they left off on Monday, and he began to question Frankel about her Instagram Story posts — specifically on October 2017 and the night that her family dog, Cookie, suffered a seizure. Frankel and Bryn took Cookie to a nearby hospital, and the dog sadly passed away just days later.

“You were frightened, where was [Bryn] when she was making the video?” Wallack asked, and Frankel said she was in the waiting room. “Was Bryn upset as well?” Wallack asked, and Frankel responded, “She was quiet and concerned. She wasn’t really aware of the situation.”

Wallack questioned Frankel’s decision to share such a distressing moment with her 2 million followers on social media. Frankel explained that she was using her social media posts to crowdsource and solicit advice from her fans.

“But if you were at the hospital already, what advice do you need? You posted a video of you sobbing there?” Wallack pressed, and Frankel said, “Because now Bryn thinks Dennis [Shields] and Cookie are together in heaven. So people give you advice. They helped me understand how to deal with this and approach Bryn.”

Hoppy’s lawyer accused Frankel of soliciting parenting advice from her fans, and she hit back. “Those are your words, I’m saying it’s nice to hear things like ‘the rainbow bridge.'”

He then asked if Frankel would rather take advice from her followers about how to talk to Bryn about the death of her dog than from Hoppy, 48. But Frankel’s lawyer objected to the claim and the judge agreed that Frankel didn’t have to respond to the claim.

Wallack continued to press Frankel, asking her if she was looking to exploit a tragic situation or if she was looking for attention, and she denied both claims. He continued, asking Frankel if she felt that posting the clips to her Instagram was “appropriate parenting behavior,” and accused her of broadcasting the event to her followers instead of providing “emotional support” for Bryn. Frankel claimed Bryn was sleeping at the time that she made those posts, so she was not aware of her mother’s Instagram posts.

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“Why do you feel the need to share you personal life each time with your 2 million followers?” Wallack concluded, and Frankel defended herself.

“I know a lot of my fans. I do a lot of book signings. They help support me, and they help me pay Jason’s rent, and they are the people that are allowing me to stand on my own two feet,” she hit back. “That’s how I made money to pay Jason millions of dollars. That’s how he is paying your legal bills. That’s why you have this job right now. That’s how Jason can afford his rent, and that’s how I can afford my rent and support my daughter.”

Radar Online was the first to report news about Frankel’s custody hearing.

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