Ballerina Farm Breaks Silence On Times Reporter, Says Article Was "An Attack On Our Family And My Marriage"

When Hannah and Daniel Neeleman of The Ballerina Farm invited The Times journalist Megan Agnew into their home, they likely didn't expect the article to paint their marriage and family life in a negative light.

For those unfamiliar with The Ballerina Farm, Hannah’s account captures the interest of millions worldwide, showcasing her life with Daniel on a farm with their eight children. Their journey from New York City and Utah to becoming successful pork farmers is anything but ordinary, along with Hannah's background as a Julliard ballerina and a recent Mrs. American pageant winner.

"I can’t, it seems, get an answer out of Neeleman without her being corrected, interrupted, or answered for by either her husband or a child," writer Agnew complained at one point. "Usually, I am doing battle with steely Hollywood publicists; today I am up against an army of toddlers who all want their mum and a husband who thinks he knows better." 

This is an extremely condescending remark to make about a woman's husband and children, but it makes sense if Agnew's goal is to cast a shadow on the allure of their traditional lifestyle – a lifestyle modern women are increasingly drawn to.

Evie quickly called out Agnew for her clear bias and heavy-handed agenda, ranging from her attempt to paint Daniel as controlling and neglectful by omitting important details to her frequent complaints about the Neeleman children. Her disdain for Hannah's choices was evident, but many readers believed her narrative.

Sadly, the piece had disastrous results: numerous videos emerged on TikTok insinuating that Hannah was a victim and her husband was the oppressor. Many felt she had no choice but to accept motherhood and gave up her dreams of becoming a ballerina. Though the couple has stated they do everything together and share the workload, the audience casts Hannah as the tiny ballerina trapped in a box.

In response, The Ballerina Farm fans cited a recording of the interview, which confirmed Agnew's purposeful omissions and careful skewing.

Recordings clipped and released by The Times contain dialogue from Hannah that was omitted from the article. The audio is from The Story podcast, an episode that Agnew was featured in. "You give up pieces of yourself," Hannah can be heard telling the journalist, adding that she doesn't think she would change that. The next clip contained the part that was incredibly wrong for Agnew to leave out: "But Daniel was like, 'If you wanna dance, go dance.'" 

Unlike what readers had initially believed, Hannah's husband allowed her to continue with ballet. "We were open to anything, but I knew deep down that I wanted to raise my babies," Hannah added, demolishing Agnew's narrative with a few simple words – which probably explains why she chose to leave them out.

The simple truth is Hannah wanted to dedicate her time to motherhood, so she did. That was her choice – but the media successfully made it seem like it wasn't.

Hannah Neeleman Responds to the Article Attacking Her Family

Now, Hannah has taken to Instagram to personally share her side of the story and reveals that Agnew's narrative couldn't be further from the truth.

"A couple of weeks ago, we had a reporter come into our home to learn more about our family and business. We thought the interview went really well, very similar to the dozens of interviews we had done in recent memory," she says in a video uploaded to Instagram. "We were taken back, however, when we saw the printed article, which shocked us and shocked the world by being an attack on our family and my marriage, portraying me as oppressed with my husband being the culprit. This couldn't be further from the truth."

"Nothing we said in the interview implied this conclusion, which leads me to believe the angle taken was predetermined," she continued. "For Daniel and I, our priority in life is God and family. Everything else comes second. The greatest day of my life was when Daniel and I were married 13 years ago. Together, we have built a business from scratch. We've brought eight children into this world, and have prioritized our marriage all along the way. We are co-parents, co-CEOs, co-diaper changers, kitchen cleaners, and decision-makers."

"We are one. And I love him more today than I did 13 years ago," Neeleman concluded in her video. "We have many dreams still to accomplish. We aren't done having babies. We are excited for our new farm store to open. And I can't wait to see what the future holds for the rest of it. But for now, I'm doing what I love most, being a mother, wife, a businesswoman, a farmer, a lover of children."

Regardless of what their critics say, we're happy The Ballerina Farm refused to let a dishonest journalist rewrite their story and bravely chose to tell the truth instead. Their beautiful life is inspiring to millions, and their courage will be, too.

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