It was the bombshell heard around West Hollywood. With the end of their marriage taking center stage in Season 8, it makes sense why fans have questions as to why Chelsea and her husband divorced from Selling Sunset and the real reason for their split. (Spoiler alert: His alleged infidelity wasn’t the only problem in their relationship.)
Chelsea Lakzani and her husband, Jeff, married in 2017 after meeting on Tinder. They welcomed their first child, a son named Maddox Ali Lavon, in 2019. Their second child, daughter Melia Iman, was born in 2020. After seven years of marriage, Chelsea—who joined Selling Sunset and The Oppenheim Group in Season 5—filed for divorce from Jeff on March 27, 2024. She sought joint custody of her and Jeff’s two children, as well as spousal support. She also cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their divorce. But what was the real reason?
Why did Chelsea Lakzani and her husband Jeff divorce from Selling Sunset?
A source told Us Weekly two days after Chelsea filed for divorce that the main reason she ened their marriage was because of the belief he was unfaithful to her. “Chelsea believes Jeff was unfaithful in their marriage and that is why she filed for divorce,” the insider said. “The divorce has been looming for weeks now and she decided to abruptly file. She is completely devastated right now and is especially upset for her the sake of their children.”
The source also claimed that Chelsea believed Jeff’s alleged infidelity “had been going on for months” before she filed for divorce. “She had suspected the cheating for a while and wanted to catch him in the act before filing,” the insider said. “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.”
Chelsea’s suspicion that her husband was cheating on her corresponds with her storyline in Selling Sunset Season 5, which saw her cast mate and fellow Oppenheim Group real estate agent, Bre Tiesi, tell Chelsea that a friend of a friend saw Jeff kissing another woman.
“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,” Bre’s friend, Amanda, told her at a lunch. “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 then showed text messages from her friend claiming they saw Jeff “in the lobby” of a hotel in Los Angeles “making out” publicly with another woman.
Though Chelsea appreciated Bre for bringing the information to her first before telling the rest of the cast, she later changed her mind in a scene with cast mates, Chrishell Stause and Emma Hernan, and accused Bre of trying to set her up on camera. “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. “I just want to know what the fuck it is.”
However, the cheating rumors weren’t the only issue in Chelsea and Jeff’s marriage. In court documents obtained by E! News in response to Chelsea’s divorce filing, Jeff claimed that he wanted exclusive possession of his and Chelsea’s home in Manhattan Beach, California, “in part” because Chelsea had been “exhibiting suspicious behavior and several of my personal items within the property have gone missing or have been relocated” since she filed for divorce.
He also alleged that there had been times when Chelsea “would start an altercation with me, only to pull out her cell phone and record my response, as if to try and catch me speaking in a hostile or aggressive manner after provoking me by being derogatory or disrespectful to me.”
He continued, “In the past, [Chelsea] demonstrated that she is capable of being physically violent and aggressive. For example, about a year ago, [Chelsea] struck me in the face, breaking my glasses and causing a small cut on the side of my face. I have never put a hand on [Chelsea] in a physically aggressive way.”
Jeff also told TMZ at the time of Chelsea’s divorce filing that she found out Chelsea filed for divorce when he received a text message from TMZ, leaving him “stunned.”
Selling Sunset is available to stream on Netflix.
