Chelsea Lazkani‘s split from husband Jeff Lazkani over cheating rumors caused Selling Sunset to pull back the curtain on the reality TV aspect of the show.
During the newest season of Selling Sunset, which started streaming on Friday, September 6, Bre Tiesi was told on screen by her friend Amanda Lynn that Chelsea’s husband was seen getting cozy with someone else. Bre, 33, took the information to Chelsea, 31, which led to an entire season of drama between the costars.
“If you bring something to camera to implode my life — as opposed to just calling me — you will do it on camera. It is really sad,” Chelsea said after accusing Bre of planning a way to ruin her marriage on the show. “I just want to know what the f—k it is.”
Bre, for her part, denied knowing what Amanda would tell her before they sat down to speak in front of the cameras.
Selling Sunset is all about the drama, but according to the cast, the context isn’t always fully present on screen. The Netflix series, which debuted in 2019, revolves around the employees at high-end Los Angeles real estate brokerage the Oppenheim Group. Selling Sunset has covered everything from the cast’s love lives to their office drama […]
“Can I take the heat that I know her? Yes. Does the bitch have tea? Always,” she told Chrishell Stause and Emma Hernan. “Was the context, ‘Let’s set up Chelsea?’ No.”
Chelsea’s lack of trust in Bre caused the entire Selling Sunset cast to feel divided. Despite her falling out with Bre, Chelsea didn’t let cameras capture how the rumors affected her marriage. Us Weekly confirmed in March that Chelsea submitted paperwork to end her marriage after seven years. Documents cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split but did not cite an exact date of separation.
Chelsea Lazkani, Jeff Lazkani. Courtesy of Netflix; Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
Chelsea, who shares kids Maddox, 5, and Melia, 3, with Jeff, requested joint physical and legal custody. She also asked for spousal support but didn’t request for the court to terminate Jeff’s ability to ask for alimony.
“[Chelsea] had suspected the cheating for a while and wanted to catch him in the act before filing,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “She finally had enough and decided to file this week, but it was a long time coming. She is still in the house with their kids. She wants him to stay out of the house, and they are not on speaking terms.”
Jeff has yet to publicly address the breakup or the accusations against him and didn’t appear on season 8. Selling Sunset’s newest batch of episodes ended with Chelsea deciding to remove her wedding ring and move on. Bre, meanwhile, decided to push back against accusations that she planned story lines for the show by inviting Amanda to join the Oppenheim Group as a dig at Chelsea.
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of how rumors about Chelsea’s marriage led to the Selling Sunset cast breaking the fourth wall several times:
How the Rumors Originally Made It Onto the Show
Jeff Lazkani and Chelsea Lazkani. Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV
Bre’s friend Amanda called her during season 8 to ask whether they could meet in person, saying, “I’m Team Bre, you know that. But I did hear something. I’m like, ‘Hmm, this is good information to know for Bre.’ It’s a little much to say. I’m being a little cautious with information because the tea is hot.”
After sitting down with Amanda, Bre was presented with text messages that claimed Jeff was seen with another woman. Amanda clarified that she got details from a friend but never actually witnessed Jeff cheating on Chelsea.
“I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but I do have text proof. I do believe this person because I’ve known him forever and he lives in the same residence where he saw this,” Amanda explained before showing messages between her and a pal.
The texts claimed that Amanda’s friend saw Jeff “in the lobby” of a hotel with a woman he was “making out” with publicly. Bre didn’t think that Chelsea was aware of Jeff allegedly spending time with someone else.
“Maybe her Birkin for her birthday was her peace offering,” she quipped. “But obviously to have this type of information is hard to digest because it’s like, ‘You’re not my friend.’… She’s been with him since she was, like, 20. Do I tell her? Do I mind my own damn business? Do I just let karma run its course?”
Bre even looked straight into the camera while contemplating her next move.
“As much as I dislike Chelsea, that is a heavy hitter to bring to her. Yes, I think she should now. But next time you throw rocks, you should check your house for any cracks before you come for mine,” she added. “I do not think I am the right person to tell Chelsea this information, at all. They say don’t shoot the messenger, but I think she will definitely shoot me.”
Breaking the News
Chelsea Lazkani, Romain Bonnet, and Bre Tiesi. Greg Gayne/Netflix
Following her meeting with Amanda, Bre passed down the information to Chelsea. The news immediately made Chelsea tear up as she came to terms with the speculation.
“As women, we always know when there’s a disconnect. We just know when there is something wrong. I’ve never been here. I’ve never even been in a situation where I had any type of disconnect,” she admitted. “I literally haven’t looked at my spouse’s phone in ten years. I’m not going to make any irrational, quick decisions.”
Bre urged Chelsea to speak with Jeff because it might bring them “ten times closer together.” Chelsea disagreed while making it clear that she would end her marriage if Jeff was unfaithful.
Questioning Bre’s Motives
Bre Tiesi. Courtesy of Netflix
Chelsea initially didn’t have any issue with Bre but a conversation with Chrishell, 43, and Emma, 32, changed her mind.
“I respect [her approach] because I just prefer to [have a direct conversation]. But I didn’t know, did she want a laugh or was she actually compassionate,” Chelsea questioned. “It just seems a little bit too perfect unfortunately. It’s a very strange situation to be in. Let’s think about it. Of all the people in the world.”
Emma specifically asked for the timeline of events, adding, “So did they have a conversation because she knew she had information? That Amanda knew something? Or was it a random thing? There’s a difference. If it’s the universe serving this on a platter to you, that’s one thing. If it’s Bre serving this on a platter to you, that is different.”
In response, Chelsea asked Chrishell to call Bre to get to the bottom of why the cheating claims were brought up while they were filming. Bre wasn’t thrilled when Chrishell asked her to “clarify” whether the conversation with Amanda was staged.
“The way I feel right now at this moment that this has even been turned on me and you guys even feel the need to ask me that, I don’t really have a lot to say,” she replied. “I am taking zero f—king responsibility for this. That’s not my fault. I didn’t think she would just come out and say that s—t the way she did.”
Chelsea pushed back by asking Bre “who set up the scene” between her and Amanda.
“I did the bigger thing. I could have never said a f—king word, and I could have let it all just play out. She would have come on and said that anyway,” Bre noted. “I don’t want to be the one f—king involved. I don’t want to be the one that has to come out and tell her this s—t. This doesn’t look good for me.”
The Selling Sunset Cast Gets Mixed Up in the Drama
While Emma stood by Chelsea in the aftermath, Chrishell wanted to hear Bre’s side of the story.
Emma didn’t understand why Chrishell was giving Bre the benefit of the doubt, saying, “Jeff is the worst, Amanda is bad but Bre is part of this. [She] should have shut it down. Meanwhile she was the one to bring this to camera. That changes everything. She didn’t even give Chelsea the opportunity to work through this privately in her own marriage.”
She continued: “Bre had never filmed with Amanda until Amanda had ‘tea’ on Chelsea. It’s public embarrassment.”
Chrishell, however, argued that Bre was just as blindsided by Amanda’s statements.
“I think what Bre is saying is this was coming out no matter what. Like Amanda was not going to sit on this information,” she noted. “She said she had no idea that’s what she was going to say.”
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Refusing to Take the Blame
Chelsea Lazkani and Bre Tiesi. Sara Mally/Netfli
Despite the backlash against Bre’s approach, she defended her decision to share what she heard with Chelsea.
“I really didn’t think [Amanda] would come and give that information. She never even said anything to me when she said she was filming. She literally sent a text and said, ‘I’m filming on Wednesday.’ She wasn’t like, ‘What’s our plan? I take her down in the first scene?’” Bre fired back during a heated moment between her and Emma.
Chelsea wasn’t as receptive to Bre while Emma and Chrishell felt as if they needed to choose a side.
“I don’t think Bre has a side that’s valid or needs to be heard,” Chelsea told the cameras. “I think she’s a no-integrity bitch.”
Emma chose Chelsea after deciding that Bre “orchestrated everything,” to which Bre replied, “So I have the power to set up a scene? It was Amanda’s decision. None of you would know if I didn’t tell you. So who really had Chelsea’s back from the jump? First of all, I told you I was filming with Amanda. I gave you all the heads-up in advance and you guys were like, ‘OK.’ If you wanted to stop that, that was your moment.”
In a separate episode, Chrishell confirmed that Bre “did at times try” to give her and Emma a “heads-up on certain aspects” of filming. Bre’s feud with the cast caused her to take it out on production when she felt they shouldn’t have been filming her.
“Get that f—king camera out of my face, I swear to God,” she told producers after an argument with Chelsea and Emma.
The Aftermath
Chelsea Lazkani. Courtesy of Netflix
According to Emma, Bre cut ties immediately after their fight by “unfollowing” her on Instagram. Bre, for her part, maintained that Chelsea was using her as a scapegoat because she allegedly already had issues in her marriage she didn’t want to face.
“She was out 24/7, so she wouldn’t know if he was out. I think that is what it was,” Bre told Amanda. “I think she had a whole new life, she was on the show. He didn’t like that and he went and did his thing. If you aren’t paying attention to your man, you won’t know what is going on.”
To make matters even messier, Bre invited Amanda to the Oppenheim Group, which she hoped would lead to a job offer for her friend.
“I know Emma and Chelsea will lose their ever-loving s—t if Amanda joins The O Group,” Bre said in a confessional. “And I am here for it.”
