Who is Ballerina Farm influencer Hannah Neeleman – and why is she angry at a British newspaper? The mum-of-8 gave up ballet for rural life in Utah and is married to the son of JetBlue’s founder

So who is Hannah Neeleman, and how did her seemingly ordinary family become embroiled in widespread controversy?

Hannah Neeleman’s early life

“Dance was my first love. I wanted to be the best,” she shares on the “about us” page of her website. “My brothers still joke that all the profits from the flower shop were funnelled into paying for my pointe shoes and ballet lessons. This is probably true.”

To cover her tuition, she competed in scholarship pageants – beauty contests that offered academic scholarships or tuition money to winners – securing Miss Springville/Mapleton in 2008 and runner-up in Miss New York City in 2010.

How did Hannah Neeleman meet her husband?

Everything changed when Hannah met Daniel Neeleman, the son of JetBlue Airlines’ founder David Neeleman. Daniel, who is two years older than Hannah, was introduced to her by a mutual friend at a college basketball game, according to The Times’ article.

“I saw her and I was ready to go,” he said in the interview. “Sign me up. I was thinking, ‘Let’s get married.’ But she wouldn’t go on a date with me for six months.”

When Hannah mentioned she was flying from Salt Lake City back to Juilliard on JetBlue, Daniel pulled some strings to arrange for them to sit next to each other. The two began dating, and although Hannah thought they should date for at least a year before getting married, Daniel was reportedly eager to tie the knot sooner. After just one month of dating, they were engaged and, soon after, they were expecting their first child.

Why did Hannah Neeleman give up ballet?

“Our first few years of marriage were really hard. We sacrificed a lot,” she told The Times. “I gave up dance, which was hard. You give up a piece of yourself. And Daniel gave up his career ambitions.”

The couple now has eight children, ranging in age from 6 months to 12 years old, with no plans to stop expanding the family. In the interview, Hannah shared that she asks God, “Is it time to bring another one to the Earth,” adding: “And I’ve never been told no.”

What is Ballerina Farm?

The family lives on their property in rural Utah, running their personal brand, Ballerina Farm. The business offers a wide range of products, including apparel (kitchen aprons, clogs, baseball caps), cookware (teapots, enamel cups, ice cream scoops), and ingredients ranging from sourdough starters and cookie dough to pork and beef.

Despite the controversy, Hannah and Daniel continue to share their life with their 9.8 million Instagram followers, 9.6 million TikTok followers, and 1.7 million YouTube subscribers, posting videos of everything from the brood pitching in to make sheep’s milk ice cream to asparagus tarts.