Alexia Echevarria ‘expected’ Lenny Hochstein to cut Lisa off financially
Alexia Echevarria is saddened, but not surprised by the way Lenny Hochstein is treating Lisa amid their divorce.
The “Real Housewives of Miami” star tells Page Six that she isn’t shocked Lenny is making their divorce difficult by allegedly cutting off Lisa’s credit card access.
“That’s very expected. That’s the move that all the men try to do,” Echevarria, 55, says in an exclusive new interview. “They try to cut off the woman … That’s a typical move.”
Lenny, 56, filed for divorce from Lisa, 40, in May after 12 years of marriage. In November, Lisa filed a second “urgent” motion for temporary support from her estranged husband after he allegedly barred her from using his Amex.
In court documents obtained by Page Six, Lisa claimed she tried to “buy diapers and food for the parties’ minor child,” but “the credit card was declined.”
Echevarria, however, insists that Lisa still provides for the exes’ children: son Logan, 7, and daughter Elle, 3. (Lenny has claimed in court filings that Lisa earns $30,000 per “RHOM” episode.)
“Luckily for Lisa, she has her own money and she works and I know that she would never not buy diapers for her children or food or any of that,” Echevarria says of her friend. “She can provide for her kids.”
The Alexia + Frankie’s Beauty Bar founder believes that “money is the root of all evil” — especially in high-profile divorce battles.
“Since there’s money, this is what money does. The schoolteacher and the fireman that are married and get divorced, none of this is happening in their lives — because there’s no money,” she says. “Well, not this kind of money.”
Shortly after the plastic surgeon demanded NBCUniversal hand over all financial information regarding Lisa’s “RHOM” salary, the reality star requested that Lenny provide tax returns for 2008 and 2009, per court documents obtained by Page Six.
“Women like to get back at men because they’re like, ‘You did this to me, now you’re going to pay for it,’” Echevarria muses.
“That’s what it is. And the men like to keep their money so they can spend it with the next woman. So it gets ugly, it gets nasty and that’s expected.”
Lenny seemingly entered into a relationship with Katharina Mazepa while still married to Lisa, though the self-proclaimed “boob god” has consistently maintained there was no crossover with the 27-year-old model.
While Lisa previously told Page Six that she was “blindsided” by Lenny’s decision to separate, Echevarria assures us that her pal is in a much better place today.
“I’m very happy that Lisa’s been able to move forward in the sense that she’s accepted all of this and she’s focusing on her and her children and just moving forward because it’s over,” she says.
“And why would you want to be married to a man like that anyways? You already saw his true colors.”
For her part, Echevarria — who once considered Lenny a friend — is “disappointed” by the doctor’s course of action.
“It really affected me because I had a friendship with Lisa and Lenny and a few months prior, we were in Aspen skiing together and having dinner,” she notes. “I’m so disappointed in him, the way he handled [his split from Lisa].”
“The Real Housewives of Miami” Season 5 is available to stream Thursday on Peacock.