Jessi Ngatikaura broke her silence on Marciano Brunette claiming on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that they had an affair amid her marriage to husband Jordan Ngatikaura.
“That was definitely a hard watch. We are continuing filming, so you guys will see this story unfold,” Jessi, 32, told Bustle in an interview published on Thursday, May 22. “I would say that viewers can look forward to me being very vulnerable and going behind the curtain of my real life and marriage.”
Jessi noted that, hopefully, being candid about her situation in the next season would “help a lot of women” going through something similar, adding, “Because of the show, I can’t say much about it. But relationships are really hard, and people make mistakes.”
After watching Marciano’s scene with Layla Taylor, Jessi clarified that there was more to the story.
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“I will say that it’s not what he made it sound [like]. What he said was not accurate. I wish I could speak now,” she said before agreeing with the interviewer that Marciano’s claims were hard to believe. “Honestly, yeah, he’s a piece of s***.”
During season 2, Jessi denied anonymous fan rumors that she was “publicly” making out with Marciano, 31, at TomTom. Marciano, for his part, sat down with Layla, 23, to discuss what happened after they all filmed two episodes of Vanderpump Villa together.
Despite previously hinting that something happened with him and Mormon Wives’ Demi Engemann — who is married to Bret Engemann — Marciano switched his story on screen.
“It is not even just about Demi. It’s a rumor — that wasn’t a rumor,” he hinted before elaborating on how the blind about him and Jessi at TomTom was true. “One thing led to another. Oh, more than [us making out].”
Marciano claimed he had sex with Jessi — and it wasn’t a one-time arrangement, adding, “We have tried meeting up [to continue the affair]. Jordan doesn’t know the truth about how extensive it was. It was not just a one-time hookup thing. It was not some one-night stand.”
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Jessi told Bustle on Thursday that Jordan “wasn’t happy” with Marciano’s claims, which they have denied.
“We knew about it before the show came out, but it’s different when you hear about something versus actually seeing it,” she said. “I’m pretty sure he wanted to beat his ass. But I think it’s going to open up a bigger conversation about marriage and relationship dynamics and how hard it can be.”
Earlier this month, Jessi offered an update on her marriage on the Tuesday, May 20, episode of “The Viall Files” podcast, saying, “I will say that reality TV is hard on any relationship, whether it’s a friendship or a marriage. We’ve been through a lot and now it’s going to be public.”
Jessi acknowledged that she wasn’t currently wearing her wedding ring. “We’re trying our best — but things are a little tricky right now,” she hinted about her and Jordan “working through things” at the moment. “I’m excited to hopefully someday share more about that. But right now it’s just real life and it’s hard.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is currently streaming on Hulu.
