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RHONY's Favorite Breakdancer Grew Up: Meet Luann de Lesseps' Son Noel
An artist, an aristocrat, and a skateboarder. Here's what to know about the RHONY cast member's son, Noel.
When fans first met Noel de Lesseps in 2008 during Season 1 of The Real Housewives of New York City, he was a breakdancing kid ready to pop and lock it for the camera.
"Cyclone is his name and dancing is his game," Noel's mom, Luann de Lesseps, wrote in a BravoTV.com blog at the time. "All kidding aside, [breakdancing has] been great for Noel's dexterity and self esteem."
These days, the countess's only son is all grown up — and funneling his artistic proclivities into new, but no less fruitful, mediums. Here's what you need to know about the Brooklyn-based aristocrat.
Who is Noel de Lesseps?
The only son of Count Alexandre de Lesseps and cabaret icon Luann, Noel is a French aristocrat by blood (his father's family is related to Suez Canal promoter Ferdinand de Lesseps) and a Bushwick boy by design.
Born in 1996 and raised between Switzerland, Manhattan, and Long Island’s East End, Noel now lives in Brooklyn and works as an artist.
"I grew up in New York, yes, but about a third of it has been in the city. I was around nature a lot as a boy in Switzerland, and out east in Long Island where the little forests were my haven. I’ve been painting for five years now, in Brooklyn for the most part, and really enjoy working here," Noel explained in an October 2022 Document Journal article.
Noel de Lesseps' First Business: FancyFool Skateboards
When Noel was 13, he founded his own company: FancyFool Skateboards.
"Learning to build a business for the first time was a process that I'm happy I got familiar with at a younger age," he writes on his website. "Designing prototypes and making changes while working with manufacturers, my ideas for making longboards went to shelves of four different stores."
While FancyFool is no longer in business, the RHONY son still loves to board.
What is Noel de Lesseps' job today?
Noel is an artist with a passion for painting.
"Painting is my center in a way — it is sacred to me. I do work with a lot of other mediums, as well, but I don’t see how art can be something segregated from anything else," said Noel in the Document Journal article. "Some other practices I keep are writing, hat-making, brush-making, drawing, performance art, video, and cooking! I make a mean stew. I’m working on my first feature film, which I’m thinking will wrap up next year. I’m really excited to show people, it’s been a big project for me."
RELATED: Luann de Lesseps Posted the Best Birthday Message for Her Son, Noel de Lesseps
In an exclusive December 2021 interview with Bravo Insider, Luann spoke about how proud she is of her artistic kids. (Her daughter, Victoria de Lesseps, is also an artist.)
"I'm very close with my kids. I'm very lucky. They're both doing great," Luann said. "They're artists. And they're, you know, working artists and selling their work."
Where did Noel de Lesseps go to school?
Noel briefly attended the Maryland Institute College of Art.
"I said 'I'll bring you to school, we'll go shopping' and he said 'No, no, no. I'm going to pack up the car and I'm just going to go'," Luann told The Daily Dish in 2015. "So I started crying. And you know he's probably right because I'd be such a mess if I went with him. So maybe he's right, maybe it's better if I don't go."
According to a gallery bio, Noel eventually left school in favor of a self-driven studio practice.
What kind of art does Noel de Lesseps create?
According to the aforementioned Document Journal article, Noel views his art as an "opportunity" to reinvigorate a childlike sense of wonder. Wildly imaginative and full of debauchery, his pieces have been shown in galleries in New York City, The Hamptons, and Switzerland.
“I don’t see how art can be something segregated from anything else,” Noel said in the article while promoting a show at The Ranch, a private gallery and horse farm in Montauk, New York. “It is a free world, a magic one, that is real. It is a way of being, a state of mind, a philosophy.”
You can see Noel's impressive array of work, as well as the occasional skateboarding video, on his Instagram.
Noel de Lesseps' Lawsuit against Luann de Lesseps
In 2018, the de Lesseps family made headlines when Noel, Alexandre, and Victoria put together a lawsuit to prevent Luann from selling their family home in the Hamptons. However, the lawsuit was eventually dropped.
"Everything's great. Everything's great with my kids," Luann revealed to Andy Cohen during an April 2019 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen while confirming the happy news.
In June 2023, Luann proved all is right with her family when she posted the above cute throwback photo in honor of Father's Day.
"One of my favorite family pics!" she wrote in the post's caption. "Happy Father's Day Alex!"
Noel de Lesseps on The Real Housewives of New York City
In addition to the breakdancing, fans might remember Noel's first appearance on RHONY, when he rounded up his pet bird before heading to the Hamptons. Now grown up, the artist rarely makes appearances on his mom's shows.
(Here's an idea, though: Crappie Lake might offer some lovely landscapes for an en plein air painting session. Give it a thought, Noel?)
How does Noel de Lesseps feel about his time on The Real Housewives of New York?
During a panel on Day 3 of BravoCon 2023, Luann reflected on the fact that her children practically grew up on reality TV — and that she’s proud of the fact that she raised two healthy children despite the pressures.
But, she admitted there are some things captured on camera that have made a lasting mark... like Noel’s brief and temporary foray into break dancing.
“My son’s still not over the skateboarding rap thing that he did on the show,” Luann said. “He’s so embarrassed by the break dancing.”
Originally published Jun 24, 2023.
