Vanderpump Villa‘s Marciano Brunette offered his unfiltered side of the story in a tell-all interview that addressed his affair scandals with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives‘ Jessi Ngatikaura and Demi Engemann — and how the controversy affected his career.
During the Monday, November 24, episode of the “Simplistic” podcast, Marciano, 32, and his brother, Sonny, sat down to address the misconceptions about his individual relationships with Jessi, 33, and Demi, 30, where he attempted to clear his name.
Hulu viewers were introduced to Marciano on the inaugural season of Vanderpump Villa, but it wasn’t until season 2 that his path crossed with Jessi and Demi when the Mormon Wives visited Italy. After filming wrapped, Marciano claimed he had been in contact with both of the reality stars — but only Jessi admitted to an emotional affair.
Demi, for her part, accused Marciano of sexual misconduct.
‘Vanderpump Villa’ Star Marciano’s Alleged ‘Mormon Wives’ Affairs Explained
“I did come out with a pretty bold and true statement against Marciano [recently] because at that point it was like, ‘You’re lying about me. Actually, you were the predator.’ So I’m not going to stay quiet — and I stand by that statement,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in May. “There’s more happening behind the scenes with that that will come to light. I’m sure at this point it’s become a legal matter. There’s not much more I can say on it as of now because I want to preserve the fact that it’s a serious situation. But I stand behind those statements.”
On Monday’s podcast, Marciano denied Demi’s version of events. He claimed Demi was in contact with him for weeks after they met on screen and her husband, Bret Engemann, was aware of their communication. (Demi discussed Brett knowing about her talks with Marciano on season 3 of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which premiered in November, but maintained that they did not have an affair.)
Marciano also clarified that despite Demi’s accusations, no official charges against him were filed. He went on to address how Demi’s claims affected his future on reality TV. Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from his podcast appearance:
His Relationship With Demi From His Point of View
According to Marciano, he was in contact with Demi as soon as the Mormon Wives cast stopped filming season 2 of Vanderpump Villa. When asked how many calls he shared with Demi, he replied, “There would be times where it [would] be 10 in a day.”
Marciano also recalled Demi and Bret offering him a place to stay — in their home — when he visited Utah. (Demi didn’t dispute Marciano’s claims on season 3 of Mormon Wives but denied allegations that they had a secret relationship.)
How Filming for ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Factored In
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast filmed their scenes for season 2 of Vanderpump Villa before their show even aired on Hulu. By the time season 2 of Vanderpump Villa premiered, so had the first season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Marciano was then asked to film content for season 2 of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives where he spoke out about his past with Demi — and his affair with Jessi. He claimed on the podcast that this was all meant to be for season 2 but the scenes were split up between the second and third installment of Mormon Wives.
“He was contracted for season 2, not season 3. We didn’t know there was going to be a whole six months in between the next season,” Marciano’s brother, Sonny, claimed. “The contract looked the same because we thought we were doing season 2. We filmed everything thinking it was going into season 2.”
While Marciano didn’t “want to throw everyone in the mud,” Sonny expressed frustration that the scenes were filmed for season 2 before the show blew up. But ultimately some of the content was allegedly saved for season 3 once Secret Lives of Mormon Wives became a big hit.
Who Is Marciano Brunette? What to Know After Affair With Mormon Wives’ Jessi
His Disappearance From the Narrative
Before Demi accused Marciano of sexual misconduct, which he has continued to deny, the Vanderpump Villa alum was expected to play a larger role in season 3. Marciano and Sonny recalled him allegedly being “pulled out” of an event after Demi went public with her claims and they haven’t heard from production since about his future on the show.
Marciano previously alluded to the controversy when he shared a TikTok in May about being disinvited to an event. Bret, for his part, showed support for Demi amid the drama.
“I’m so proud of this beautiful human. She’s the most incredible woman I will ever know,” he wrote via Instagram at the time “The amount of nonsense she’s had to endure at the hands of disingenuous and deceitful fools is astounding. She’s conducted herself like a graceful lioness amongst a bunch of yipping hyenas.”
Marciano also claimed that he offered to film a sit down with Demi’s husband but was told Bret wasn’t interested. While Vanderpump Villa has been renewed for a third season, Marciano remained unsure about his reality TV future due to the allegations.
Jessi vs. Demi
Despite exploring a connection with both Demi and Jessi, Marciano only had true feelings for one of them.
“Jessi all day. That’s the easiest decision of all time,” he revealed. “Because Jessi was a real person where I didn’t have to question her motives — especially after everything came out. She was such a good person. It was way deeper.”
Marciano said he thinks he was in love with her, adding, “I will always have feelings for her. But she’s married so I shouldn’t be saying that. … I wish I went for Jessi first.”
