Who Are Hannah Neeleman's Parents? The Ballerina Farm Maven Also Comes From a Big Family
"It’s been such a tender week in many ways and heaven has been close for all of us," Hannah said before he dad died.
Published July 24 2024, 4:58 p.m. ET
As those who follow Hannah Neeleman, or as she is known on social media, Ballerina Farm —and a mom of eight — are well aware, she was raised by Mormon parents who counted nine kids among their brood.
The unabashed member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no stranger to controversy, having competed in a Mrs. American pageant just days after giving birth to her eighth child, and drawing ire from moms for making it all look so easy. But who are the influencer's parents?
Hannah Needleman was very close with her parents but her father passed away.
Hannah was raised in Utah by her parents, Chad and Cherie Wright, going on to spend time in New York City where she attended Juilliard and studied ballet. Incidentally, the farm owner also lived in Brazil with her husband Daniel, but is now settled back in Utah.
Sadly, Chad passed away from sarcoma cancer in January 2024, per an Instagram post shared by Hannah. He got to see his daughter in the Mrs. American pageant before he died.
"My Daddy made it to the pageant," Hannah captioned one of their last photos together. "It’s been such a tender week in many ways and heaven has been close for all of us. So grateful to have my family here this weekend!"
Just days later, Hannah shared with her 9.1 million followers that he was gone.
Meanwhile, Hannah still shares photos of her mom, who seems to be her partner in crime when it comes to pushing her businesses online.
In one video, mom and daughter did a side-by-side makeup tutorial.
Hannah Needleman's main business is Ballerina Farm.
In addition to being a very successful social media influencer, and winning the Mrs. American pageant in 2024 — she also won Mrs. Utah in 2021 per Glamour — Hannah and her husband also operate a working farm and a website where they sell meat, home goods, apparel, baking goods, spices, and fresh flowers.
Per the company's website, "Ballerina Farm is nestled in the fertile mountain valley of Kamas, Utah. Blessed with cool summers and snowy winters, livestock and humans alike enjoy this high altitude oasis."
It's worth mentioning that not only does the family profit from Ballerina Farm and their social media footprint, but Daniel's dad, David Neeleman, founded five airlines, perhaps most notably including JetBlue.
His net worth is $400 million.
This is relevant because Hannah has been criticized for not being real about her life, namely not posting about her farm's staff. Oh, and that her father-in-law is a hop, skip, and a jump away from being a billionaire.
It's worth noting that Hannah has not responded to any of this criticism, nor does she seem bothered by people who have thoughts about her pageant win so soon after baby, although she also has many supporters.
"You look amazing," one commenter said, for instance. "But I would like to state that this is extremely unrealistic for a woman 12 days postpartum. I’m not saying this as a putdown but more for the new mamas watching this."
And a typical response? "Can we all simply support her without projecting our postpartum experience onto her reality?"
