Things between Michelle Lally and Jesse Lally have been over since shortly after The Valley wrapped — but the reality TV delay prevented the Bravo newbies from taking action.
During the Thursday, April 25, episode of Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor‘s “When Reality Hits” podcast, Michelle, 36, opened up about her and Jesse’s breakup timeline.
“We filmed [The Valley] last summer and we finished filming in September [2023],” she explained. “I had the conversation with Jesse at the beginning of October that it was no longer going to work and I wanted to file for divorce.”
Michelle added: “Jesse and I have actually not been together since October and since then we were free to date and do whatever we want.”
Jesse and Michelle got married in 2018 after several years of dating. They expanded their family with daughter Isabella in 2020 before allowing Bravo to capture the end of their relationship for the Vanderpump Rules spinoff.
Us Weekly broke news of their split in March, days before the show aired. Michelle told Brittany, 35, on Thursday that she was ready to file for divorce immediately after their split.
“I am more permanent. I have filed for divorce and it is happening. We are in the middle of it and hopefully before the end of the year it will be finalized,” she said, noting that legal proceedings can take a “minimum of six months” after the initial divorce filing. “We as of right now don’t have to go to court because we are basically in agreement with almost everything. Hopefully we don’t need to and we will be done. My goal is to be done and move on with my life.”
Michelle added: “That is why I was like, ‘We need to file as soon as possible.’ It was a little tricky with the show because it was going to be announced and we didn’t know how to handle it. It was a little back and forth when we would file.”
Despite the ups and downs in front of and behind the cameras, Michelle confirmed that she and Jesse were in a good place.
“We both decided to start dating. We are both dating and I do now have a boyfriend and I’m really happy about that. We are very much aligned,” the real estate agent shared. “I feel like instantly when I met him, we aligned with each other. We have the same values, hobbies and it has been very easy. We don’t fight and I’m just so happy all the time.”
Michelle — who is reportedly dating financial advisor Aaron Nosler — also said her connection with her current boyfriend is different than her dynamic with Jesse. “I am the complete opposite. I can’t keep my hands off him. I am like, ‘Who am I?'” she said.
Earlier in the episode, Michelle told Brittany that with her divorce would come a name change.
“I am currently Michelle Saniei Lally,” she noted. “I would like to keep Lally for now just for Isabella’s sake but eventually that will be removed.”
