Just in time for the premiere of The Valley, we’ve learned that Michelle Lally has filed for divorce from Jesse Lally after almost six years of marriage. That’s one way to make your reality TV debut.
Earlier this week, we learned that the two had separated, signaling a pattern of marital woes among The Valley cast. Now, it sounds like Michelle is ready to take things a step further.
Radar Online obtained the divorce docs, and Michelle is trying to get the hell out of this marriage ASAP.
She dropped the D-word
According got the divorce documents, Michelle cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their sudden split. The couple share one daughter, three-year-old Isabella. She’s requesting joint legal and physical custody.
It’s not clear of the two Bravo newbies signed a prenup. In the divorce papers, Michelle said she was hopeful that she and Jesse could come to an amicable conclusion regarding the separation of their debts and properties. That’s always easier said than done.
The divorce documents shed some light on the timeline of their marital issues. Although we’re just now hearing about their separation, Michelle stated their date of separation as October 16, 2023. Mind you, their fifth anniversary was October 13, 2023. Did Jesse forget to get her a gift?
Blaming it on the show
Although we’ve yet to see a second of these two on TV, they’re already blaming the reality TV effect for the demise of their marriage. In an interview, Michelle admitted that the show was filmed “a while ago,” but she said the production process underscored some of the problems in their marriage.
“People said, ‘When you watch the show, you’re going to realize how you guys actually are,’ because when you’re in it, you don’t actually know,” Michelle shared. “Taking a step back and looking at myself, I’m like, ‘Oh wow. It’s obvious we have some marital issues.’”
At a premiere party for The Valley, Jesse also signaled that Season 1 would expose some of the problems that led to their divorce. He said he spent the whole summer trying to be the “best version” of himself. Apparently, even the best version of himself didn’t align with what Michelle needed.
Jesse explained, “And if the best version of myself aligned with the best version of herself, then our marriage would make it. People evolve. If your marriage and relationship doesn’t evolve with it, it will never work no matter how bad you want it.”
Of course, some fans are questioning the authenticity of this breakup. Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor also announced their separation recently. It all feels a little bit too conveniently timed with The Valley series premiere. However, Michelle was adamant in a recent interview that this isn’t a publicity stunt.
“I want fans to know how real we were. We’re very authentic,” Michelle urged, “We didn’t fake anything and we said if we’re going to do reality TV, we’re really going to open up our lives — the positive and the negative.”
The Valley premieres on Bravo on March 19, with new episodes every Tuesday.
TELL US – DO YOU PLAN ON WATCHING THE VALLEY? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON MICHELLE AND JESSE DIVORCING RIGHT AT THE SAME TIME AS THE VALLEY PREMIERE?
