The Valley’s Jesse Lally is facing backlash from the women of Bravo after his ex Michelle Saniei accused him of being controlling while she was in labor.
Appearing on the Wednesday, May 28 episode of podcast “Not Skinny but Not Fat,” Jesse, 44, was grilled about his actions during the birth of the pair’s daughter, Isabella, in 2020.
“[Michelle] said you were very controlling in the delivery room. You didn’t want her to have an epidural, didn’t want her to have a C section. You wanted her to do it natural,” podcast host Amanda Hirsch, 36, said to Jesse.
In response, Jesse explained he “took control” of the situation and admitted he had preferred the birth to be natural.
The Valley’s Michelle Claims Ex Jesse Tried to Prevent Her Epidural
“So I had brought up home birth, natural birth. And Michelle was like, ‘Absolutely,’ nod. Well, we had conversations about it,” Jesse explained. “I didn’t want the baby coming to a world full of drugs in a stressful environment, like all these things that you read about, you hear about, whether they were true or not, is what I believed in my head.”
He added: “The epidural thing I just asked about it. ‘Does it go into the bloodstream?’ This and that… they’re like, ‘No, it’s in the lower back’ or whatever. Then when she was stalled at seven-and-a-half [months pregnant], we started having the Pitocin conversation.”
Amanda then questioned Jesse about Michelle’s thoughts on the situation and whether she felt the ultimate decision became Jesse’s rather than her own.
“Yeah, 100% I took control, because in that moment, I felt like that was my job to make the decisions,” he replied. “I was hoping that it would be natural-sh, right? Yeah, she would go into labor. It would take four, five hours. She’d push and the baby would come out.”
Amanda took aim at that call, after insisting that she — and likely other women — wouldn’t want someone else to make that decision on their behalf as it is their body going through the experience after all.
“Youl f***ing try to push without an epidural, Jesse!” she told him.
The Valley’s Michelle and Jesse Tell Conflicting Stories in Tell-Alls
When a clip of the podcast featuring Jesse’s controversial comments was posted via social media channels, other Bravo reality stars were quick to echo Amanda’s sentiments.
“Coming from the guy NOT giving birth…” Scheana Shay, 40, commented, while Katie Maloney, 38, simply said, “Barf.”
Meanwhile, The Real Housewives of New York City alum Carole Radziwill, 61, didn’t hold back as she assessed the situation.
“I think the pain of childbirth would pale in comparison to the pain of actually being married to this dude,” she wrote.
