Bethenny Frankel Divorce to Jason Hoppy Reason for Fall in Ratings? Ellen DeGeneres Allegedly Tells Her to Stop Talking About It
Ellen DeGeneres told Bethenny Frankel to stop talking about her divorce if she ever wants to get better rating for her show Bethenny, a source told Radar Online.
Frankel's daytime talk show fell to No. 13 among her talk show peers. She is lagging behind DeGeneres, who helped the former reality star get her show, and Dr. Oz, as well as other talk shows hosted by Queen Latifah, Steve Wilkos and Rachael Ray. Frankel's ratings get lower the more she talks about her divorce to Jason Hoppy and since then DeGeneres reportedly told her to stay away from that topic of discussion, according to the insider.
"Ellen wants Bethenny to stop yakking about the divorce because there is a public perception that she's to blame for the split," said the source close to the situation. "Jason is very sympathetic figure - a doting dad - and quite frankly, many of Bethenny's viewers and fans don't understand why she dumped him. Whenever Bethenny opines about how hard the divorce has been on her and bemoans that Jason wasn't the love of her life, viewers turn the channel."
"This is one of the major factors contributing to Bethenny's very weak ratings," explained the insider.
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Frankel and Hoppy still live together in the Tribeca apartment they moved into together as a family. Frankel filed for divorce in January 2013. She married Hoppy, a pharmaceuticals executive, in 2010 while she was pregnant with Bryn, who is now 3. The estranged couple are battling it out in divorce court and among the proceedings are discussions regarding custody of Bryn.
DeGeneres may be behind Frankel getting her show but that does not mean the former Real Housewives of New York City star will listen to the TV veteran. The source said Frankel, "isn't used to being told what to do and feels that her audience relates to her."
"She believed the audience understands how hard the divorce is on her. Bethenny will do things her own way, no matter what anyone - including her boss - says."
