The Biggest Selling Sunset Drama That Happened Off-Screen
Viewers can't get enough of Netflix's "Selling Sunset," a glossy reality show set in the high-end world of Los Angeles real estate. Having already been renewed for Seasons 6 and 7 in 2022, it seems as though "Selling Sunset" will be on our screens for quite some time, especially as it has already inspired two spin-offs — "Selling Tampa" and "Selling the O.C." — the latter of which was also renewed for two subsequent seasons in January 2023. While plenty of drama happens on-screen between the real estate agents in The Oppenheim Group offices, what happens off-screen is sometimes even juicier.
Breakout stars like Christine Quinn and Chrishell Stause have been making a splash on social media since the first season of "Selling Sunset" dropped in 2019, and they're not the only ones. As the stars of a mega-hit Netflix show, the "Selling Sunset" cast members have faced high-profile criticism, dramatic infighting, and unexpected rumors. Here, we round up the biggest drama to hit the "Selling Sunset" cast when the cameras aren't rolling.
Was Vanessa Villela quietly fired from Selling Sunset?
Vanessa Villela, a Mexican-American actor with a successful career starring in telenovelas, joined the cast of "Selling Sunset" for the show's fourth and fifth seasons. However, after the series was renewed for Seasons 6 and 7, Villela's future on the show was thrown into jeopardy, with People reporting that the soap star hadn't yet signed a contract to appear in new episodes. In April 2023, a trailer for the sixth season of "Selling Sunset" didn't feature Villela, seemingly confirming the rumors that she was no longer a cast member on the show. Coupled with the news that two new real estate agents, Nicole Young and Bre Tiesi, would be joining the "Selling Sunset" cast, it started to look as though Villela's time on Netflix had come to an end.
While Villela has yet to address her apparent absence from "Selling Sunset" Season 6, as of this writing, she's been extremely busy during her time away from the reality show since Season 5 dropped. In September 2022, Villela got married to photographer Nick Hardy in a fairytale wedding in San Diego, California, per Brides. It's also worth noting that the TV star hadn't left the world of real estate and was still regularly posting about her listings on Instagram.
Villela is presumably done with reality TV for the time being, but it's a little sad that no one associated with "Selling Sunset" has yet addressed her seemingly sudden and glaring absence from the show.
Chrissy Teigen suggested the cast were fake real estate agents
Most episodes of "Selling Sunset" feature some pretty major drama, which has led some viewers to question the authenticity of the real estate reality show. Chrissy Teigen was one such viewer, and in August 2020, she began a Twitter thread with, "I just watched all of 'Selling Sunset' after watching everyone talk about it for so long!" She later added, "I will say, I look at LA real estate a lot and have never seen any of these people lol either have our agents, who I have obsessively asked."
Understandably, cast members were quick to hit back at Teigen's suggestions about whether or not they were legitimate real estate agents. "Mary, Heather, Maya and Christine were licensed and successful real estate agents at The Oppenheim Group many years prior to filming our show," founder Jason Oppenheim told Page Six in response to Teigen's tweets. He continued, "Chrishell was a practicing agent at another brokerage, many years previous to filming 'Selling Sunset.'"
Basically, you can try to discredit the "Selling Sunset" agents or seemingly suggest that they're simply pretending to sell real estate for the TV show, but you'd be wrong.
Ben Affleck denied Emma Hernan's Raya claims
One of the juiciest reveals on "Selling Sunset" Season 5 happened during the fifth episode when Emma Hernan dished that she'd apparently once matched with Ben Affleck on the dating app Raya. Hernan suggested that Affleck had asked her to go for coffee, but she'd turned him down, saying, "We have the Boston connection. So, that was his opening pick-up line." Hernan also explained that she'd allegedly been in contact with the "Justice League" star before he got back together with his ex, Jennifer Lopez, in 2021.
However, Affleck was quick to shut down Hernan's claims, with his representative telling People in April 2022, "Raya has confirmed that he has not been an active member for several years." But despite Affleck's denials, Hernan doubled down on her claims that the movie star had been messaging her before he settled down with Lopez. During an interview with E! News' "Daily Pop," Hernan alleged, "It was not recent. This was 2019." She continued, "Literally, the smallest, innocent little thing, and it was taken and blew up out of proportion."
As the "Selling Sunset" star isn't the only woman to have claimed she matched with Affleck on Raya, it certainly seems possible that the connection really did happen. And for "Selling Sunset" fans, Hernan and Affleck's alleged Raya messages remain one of the hottest scandals to ever grace the show.
Christine Quinn came for Heather Rae El Moussa's relationship
Christine Quinn most certainly made a lot of enemies during her tenure on "Selling Sunset," which included alienating even her closest friends. While Quinn once appeared to be close with fellow agent Heather Rae El Moussa, that seemingly changed after her friend started dating "Flip or Flop" star Tarek El Moussa. In July 2020, Quinn told Page Six, "It's really funny to see Heather's relationship play out because her and her boyfriend have such an interesting dynamic." Digging herself deeper, Quinn explained, "I call them 'Speidi' all the time because it's like articles all the time about baking cookies, you know, watching movies. It's ridiculous, so you know, you're going to see the girls and I just get so tired of it."
In defense of his relationship, Tarek appeared on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast in December 2020, saying, "Christine has a big mouth. ... We're not really interested in dealing with her nonsense." Quinn was quick to respond to Tarek, telling E! News' "Daily Pop," "Why are you so obsessed with me? I mean, I'm thrilled, but that was so long ago."
Despite any criticism regarding their romance, Heather and Tarek tied the knot in October 2021 and welcomed their first child together in January 2023.
Amanza Smith and Heather Rae El Moussa's off-screen argument
"Selling Sunset" regularly features arguments between the real estate agents in The Oppenheim Group offices, but not every fight is caught on camera. During the show's second season, viewers saw Amanza Smith expressing her concern over the speed with which Heather Rae El Moussa had been introduced to her boyfriend Tarek El Moussa's children. But according to Smith, viewers only saw the tip of the iceberg when it came to their discussion over the milestone.
In an interview with Express, Smith discussed the argument, saying, "[Producers] even cut out a lot. ... You didn't even see it, it was worse. It was heated to the point where people were just like, 'What the hell's going on?'" However, Smith was immediately uncomfortable during the disagreement, telling the outlet, "And my gut is in my throat, and I just remember thinking, 'Okay, like make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, stop. What is going on?'"
Ultimately, Smith was simply being protective of her friend, and of Tarek's children, as a single mom who has been through a lot herself. Discussing how her own breakup had affected her children, Smith told Express, "The kids were still just heartbroken. It was so sad for me, my little boy especially ... it just broke my heart." Still, it's hard to imagine Heather and Smith having such a big row when they usually seem to get along just fine on-screen.
Mary Fitzgerald waded into Christine Quinn's 'fake' pregnancy
Christine Quinn's pregnancy was included in the fourth season of "Selling Sunset," but for some reason, not everyone believed that the reality star was really expecting a baby. In fact, in November 2021, Quinn was forced to respond to vicious rumors she'd faked her pregnancy, even tweeting, "For all yall still mad on pregnancy gate please go look at my ig stories. And apologize. This is seriously so hurtful." On Instagram, she posted and deleted the message, "K y'all are beyond f***ing sick."
Despite officially announcing the birth of her son in May 2021, allegations about the nature of Quinn's pregnancy continued to plague her. Plus, one of her "Selling Sunset" co-stars appeared to fan the flames of the fake pregnancy rumors. In February 2022, Mary Fitzgerald told Us Weekly, "I can see why people would say [she wasn't pregnant] because she was so tiny just with this perfect little bump. And then she was right back to her normal size within, like, a day." Fitzgerald continued, "As far as I know, she really did [deliver her baby]."
Understandably, Fitzgerald's comments didn't go down well with Quinn, who commented on Us Weekly's Instagram post about the story. "Imagine having to use made up rumours about your cast members for clout because no one even cares about what goes on in your own life," she wrote. It would seem that there's no love lost between these former besties.
Chrishell Stause accused her castmates of fake drama
Chrishell Stause has often been forced to defend herself against some of her "Selling Sunset" castmates, and it seems that Season 6 has induced even more drama. In late August 2022, while filming the sixth season of the show, Stause took to her Instagram Stories and wrote, "The thirst for camera time on season 6 is REAL. Wow. That was insanity."
Stause then hinted at some behind-the-scenes drama involving a fellow cast member in a follow-up post, suggesting that viewers would soon figure out which "Selling Sunset" stars were genuine, and who was causing fake issues to get more screen time. "Of COURSE you have a huge issue with me now — not before — when you have a camera crew around you," the "All My Children" star explained. "I hate fake [poop emoji]. If you want camera time-JUST SAY THAT. I would have helped you get the right angle."
So, were Stause's social media comments targeting one of the show's newbies — The Oppenheim Group's real estate agents Bre Tiesi and Nicole Young — or one of her veteran co-stars? As of this writing, this remains unknown. However, in the trailer for Season 6, Young had teased, "I have $100 million in sales and counting. If someone were to get in the way of that, there's gonna be an issue." Basically, before it even hit our Netflix screens, the sixth season of "Selling Sunset" promised to be filled with a multitude of disagreements, disputes, and newfound feuds.
Christine Quinn quit Selling Sunset
"Selling Sunset" fans were devastated when original cast member Christine Quinn decided to quit the show. The Season 5 finale hinted that Quinn would likely be leaving The Oppenheim Group, following a bribery allegation involving another real estate agent's client. In May 2022, Quinn revealed that she'd moved on from "Selling Sunset" by commenting on a TikTok video, "I terminated my contract weeks ago prior to filming [the reunion]. I have my own company now, LOL." That August, Quinn's departure from the hit reality show was confirmed when Netflix started filming Seasons 6 and 7 without her.
In an interview with The Guardian in May 2022, Quinn suggested that she wasn't on board with all of the storylines she was made to film for the reality show. "I was powerful and they didn't want that narrative," she claimed to the publication. "They wanted the narrative of me being bullied out and doing something wrong."
Despite parting ways with the Netflix show, Quinn has remained extremely busy. For instance, she founded RealOpen, a brokerage allowing clients to purchase real estate with cryptocurrency, with her husband, Christian Dumontet. Quinn also walked the runway for Balenciaga alongside Kim Kardashian and Nicole Kidman during Paris Fashion Week in 2022, proving that she's a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world. "Selling Sunset" won't be the same without Quinn, but it seems like she's doing just fine.
Heather Rae El Moussa is worried about Season 7
Following the departures of Vanessa Villela, Christine Quinn, and Maya Vander, "Selling Sunset" has seen an influx of new talent. The ease with which some cast members have been replaced seems to have made some real estate agents feel a little anxious about their own futures on the show. During an interview with E! News in March 2023, Heather Rae El Moussa revealed that she hadn't filmed any scenes for the show's seventh season, despite the fact that it was already in production.
"I've been off maternity leave and I've been excited to get back to work," Heather told the publication. "And so far, I've not been called back." Unsurprisingly, she seemed slightly concerned that she hadn't filmed any scenes for the new season. "It's been a little frustrating. So, not sure what's been going on," she shared with E! News.
Heather and her husband, Tarek El Moussa, welcomed their first child together on January 31, 2023. Then, in March 2023, Heather launched the HGTV reality show "The Flipping El Moussas" with her husband. As a result, Heather is still on our screens, but it's unclear if her new TV show would interfere with her role on "Selling Sunset," as of this writing. Considering Quinn's dramatic departure, and the much quieter way Villela was seemingly written out of the show, it makes sense that Heather would be eager for confirmation of her future on the Netflix series.
A Million Dollar Listing star called the cast 'actors'
With a slew of glamorous real estate shows to choose from, there's bound to be some rivalry. In 2023, "Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles" star Josh Flagg shared a video of himself watching "Selling Sunset" clips, and he made some pretty wild allegations about the cast. In the caption of his Instagram video, Flagg wrote, "If you'd like to watch a real estate show with licensed agents, make sure to watch last nights episode of 'MDLLA.' ... If you want to watch actors pretend to be agents, tune into my newest YT video ... where I review 'Selling Sunset.'" Basically, he did not hold back.
After Flagg posted the same video on Twitter, Chrishell Stause responded by writing, "Well my license number is #02013937 but I also just had a movie hit @lifetimetv yesterday so check it out. ... But real estate is one of many of my hustles so I get the critique but I would love to work with you in the future."
While it's clear that there's some rivalry between the "Million Dollar Listing" cast and the "Selling Sunset" crew, Stause's response to Flagg was nothing but respectful. And at the end of the day, the immense global success of "Selling Sunset" arguably speaks for itself.
Mary Fitzgerald was 'worried' about Bre Tiesi joining Selling Sunset
Season 6 of "Selling Sunset" includes two new faces — longtime Oppenheim Group agent Nicole Young and up-and-comer Bre Tiesi. While Young's career seems to have been entirely focused on real estate, Tiesi has hit the headlines more for her personal life, including her relationship with Nick Cannon. Tiesi and Cannon welcomed their son, Legend, in June 2022, and "Selling Sunset" Season 6 features much discussion about the couple's unconventional relationship. Cannon, of course, has fathered 12 children to date, and appears to be in an open relationship with Tiesi.
In March 2023, Mary Fitzgerald expressed some concern about Tiesi joining the cast, telling DSCENE, "We have a new cast member Bre [Tiesi], who has been in real estate but has been in the press for different reasons! It's going to be a very interesting dynamic." She continued, "I like her a lot. I was a little worried when she first came. I was like I can't do any more drama ... please don't give me more drama."
Understandably, Fitzgerald didn't want to get caught in the middle of anymore fights or arguments on the glossy real estate show. However, it was clear that Tiesi would bring a lot to the table, which is bound to fascinate "Selling Sunset" fans.
Christine Quinn claimed she was paid more than anyone else
Christine Quinn was one of the breakout stars of "Selling Sunset," and she quickly became famous for her iconic one-liners and her eye-popping style. Having decided to leave the show at the end of Season 5, Quinn made it clear that she is ready to move on, but not before she took down her cast members one more time.
In May 2022, Quinn made an enlightening admission during an appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, when she opened up about the cast salaries on "Selling Sunset." She started by saying, "I'm gonna get sued after this. I don't care. You can't afford my lawyers," before launching into the juicy details. "There's three different tiers," Quinn explained. "I get paid the most. Jason as well." She continued, "My entertainment attorney, you know, basically [said] this is my value and I think it's all about recognizing your worth."
Basically, Quinn wanted everyone to know that she allegedly made the most cash on the Netflix reality show, and that most of her castmates earned a lot less than she did.
Emma Hernan bought a house with Christine Quinn's ex
Emma Hernan joined "Selling Sunset" in Season 4, and it quickly became clear that the real estate agent already had beef with Christine Quinn. It transpired that Hernan and Quinn had both dated the same man, but there were differing accounts regarding when one relationship ended and the next began. As a result, Hernan and Quinn were never close on the show, and it seems that their feud may have continued off-screen.
In October 2022, Hernan revealed to Us Weekly that she'd just bought a house with Peter Cornell, the ex she shares with Quinn. "We bought it as an investment property," Hernan told the publication. She also hinted at the possibility of a long-term romance with Cornell, saying, "You know, there was at some point, the thought [of] maybe, will we move in together? Will we not?" Hernan continued, "I think I'm very open about where him and I are, and I don't always know."
Obviously, Quinn is married to someone else at this point, so it's unlikely she cares what her ex is doing. Still, it seems that Hernan has won this particular battle, as investing in a property with another person seems pretty serious.