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Chrishell Stause And Justin Hartley's Divorce Made Waves On 'Selling Sunset'

chrishell stause justin hartley
Why Did Chrishell Stause & Justin Hartley Divorce?Dan MacMedan - Getty Images

It's been several years since Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause and This is Us star Justin Hartley called it quits on their marriage, and over two years since they finalized their divorce. The breakup was pretty public since it occurred while Chrishell was filming Selling Sunset season 1. Still, as both celebs continue to make plenty of red carpet and TV appearances (and with a brand new Selling Sunset reunion episode coming after season 7 on November 15), details about their former 'ship and current love lives are still swirling.

In May 2021, Justin made his red carpet debut at the MTV Movie & TV Awards with actress Sofia Pernas and shocked everyone with the news that they'd gotten hitched two months earlier. Fans noticed rings on the couple's left ring fingers and, sure enough, they had secretly wed, per People. The couple had been dating publicly for five months, but details on their wedding were scarce.

In May 2022, Chrishell revealed during the Selling Sunset season 5 reunion that she was dating Australian singer G-Flip. Things quickly progressed, and the couple tied the knot in a small ceremony a year later in Vegas. Now, just before Selling Sunset season 7 drops, see a recap on everything that went down between Justin and Chrishell.

Why did Chrishell and Justin divorce in the first place?

Justin officially filed for divorce from Chrishell in November 2019 after two years of marriage, per Us Weekly. He cited "irreconcilable differences" and said that they had separated on July 8, 2019. But Chrishell listed the date that Justin filed as the date of their separation, so it's unclear when exactly they decided to call it quits.

The couple got married in October 2017 after four years of dating, according to Us Weekly. They were engaged for two years before they actually tied the knot. And this wasn’t Justin’s first marriage—he was previously married to Lindsay Hartley from 2004 to 2012.

The divorce filing was a total shock to Chrishell, who shared the drama during the third season of Selling Sunset (more on that in a sec).

It’s still kind of a mystery why they broke up.

Apparently, the two were struggling, but not so much that people thought they would get divorced. "Justin had been having problems with the marriage for a while," a source told Us Weekly at the time. Still, the insider said, "The divorce filing was a big surprise to everyone around Justin and Chrishell in terms of their friends."

"I’m just kind of in shock with it all,” Chrishell revealed during Selling Sunset season 3. “It’s just a lot all at once because everybody in the whole world knows. I love him so much. This was my best friend. Who do I talk to now?”

Later, an insider source divulged to PEOPLE that the couple may have separated due to their incongruent outlook on settling down. Chrishell, the source said, was ready to be a wife and mother, while Justin was more career-focused.

Former Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn said they tried couples therapy, but Chrishell refuted the claims.

"We all just thought maybe they were having communication problems for a while," Christine Quinn told Page Six. "We heard that they were in therapy, so obviously there were some issues going on with them."

She also explained why Selling Sunset fans didn't see Justin onscreen. "I think... the understanding that they had is that he [Justin] wanted to be totally private in regards to 'Selling Sunset,' which she [Chrishell] respected," the real estate agent told the publication. "So, we’re never going to see him on the show, and we’re never going to see her talk about him, and I really don’t think there’s ever any resolve, unfortunately."

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Still, Christine doesn't know exactly what caused their breakup—and Chrishell got pretty upset that her co-star was talking to the press at all.

She tweeted: "Let me be VERY clear. She knows absolutely nothing about the situation and is obviously desperate to gain attention by doing so. Anything from her is either a complete lie or total conjecture on her part."

According to Chrishell, Justin informed her of their divorce via text message.

During episode 6 of season 3, Chrishell tells co-star Mary Fitzgerald that Justin informed her of their split via text. "I found out because he texted me that we were filed. Forty-five minutes later, the world knew," Chrishell says, referring to the TMZ article that first broke the news of Justin's divorce filing.

Chrishell said she was blindsided by the text.

"If that's really what you wanted, there are better ways to go about it," she says on Selling Sunset. Chrishell also explains how she felt like she had no say in the matter and that Justin didn't even give them a chance to figure things out before filing for divorce.

"When I think of marriage, I think of, you know, you work on things with people if they're not perfect—no one is, you work on it," Chrishell says on the show. "You talk about it. You don't throw it out... you don't go out looking for greener grass. Sometimes, you have to water the grass that you have, and that's what marriage is."

She then adds, "Sometimes it can be hard, I mean I don't think it should more hard than easy at all, but that's why I'm so confused... I didn't feel like that balance was off."

The whole experience left Chrishell hurt and upset. "It's hard, it takes a toll on your self-worth where you just feel the anger, 'How could you do it this way?'" she tells Mary in a heart-to-heart.

Justin cautioned people against believing everything they hear.

Justin went on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy in late October 2020 and kinda-sorta alluded to his divorce. "I think people want to know about other people’s personal affairs, but it’s just, I would just caution people," he said. "I caution my daughter on this all the time. I said, 'You can’t—you really can’t just believe something because you read it.'"

"I’m really happy with where I am," he continued. "I’m happy with my career. I’m happy with my personal life. I’m healthy, I’m safe. I’m, I mean, all of those things. So, I’m very thankful."

Justin then acknowledged that some people really want to read rumors about his love life and said that’s "fine" with him. "If they’re getting entertainment from that, I think it sort of comes with the territory," he added "But I’ve also sort of always had this view that I will live a public [life], but I will be very private about my personal affairs."

Selling Sunset star Mary Fitzgerald said Chrishell was “heartbroken,” but “handled it like a champ.”

Mary was by Chrishell's side throughout the turmoil of season three and had her back on the 'gram and in interviews.

“Chrishell was blindsided, and she was put in a very difficult position, and she chose to share it with everybody because it is a reality show and it, you know, follows our lives,” Mary told Us Weekly. “So I thought she was extremely strong, and she was vulnerable to everything. I thought she handled it like a champ.”

“She took very little time off," Mary added. "I know she was just heartbroken, but she was always positive. She never talked bad about him. She never did anything. I think she couldn’t have handled it [better]. She never played the victim ever. I think she always finds the good in everything.”

Chrishell took time to date again.

An insider source shared updates with Us Weekly in September 2020 about how Chrishell was doing. "It still stings that Justin blindsided her like that, but the way Chrishell sees it, that’s something Justin has to live with," the source told the publication. "Her conscience is totally clear."

"The past year or so has been a real roller-coaster for Chrishell. Losing Justin and her mom were devastating blows," a source told Us Weekly. She "was knocked sideways for a while by both these setbacks." The source added, "Chrishell has this amazing ability to bounce back from tough situations even when the odds are stacked against her."

Chrishell was literally bouncing while training and competing on season 29 of Dancing With the Stars.

She also dated DWTS pro Keo Motsepe for about three months after filming wrapped. "Keo is heartbroken. He enjoyed his time with Chrishell and was 100 percent in it," a source close to him told People after the breakup.

Meanwhile, Justin made the split seem oddly amicable.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, Justin wrote a sweet birthday message for Chrishell just two weeks after he filed for divorce.

"Let’s all wish this young gem of a human a very happy birthday!" he wrote next to a series of pics of the two of them. "To many more years of love and laughs!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY @chrishellhartley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!."

He never appeared on Selling Sunset to share his perspective, but there’s an easy explanation.

Selling Sunset is on Netflix, while Justin starred in the NBC hit This Is Us. "I think it was just contractual," creator Adam DiVello told Variety of Justin's absence from the show in August. "We certainly asked many, many times. I think it was just his contract with NBC."

this is us season 4
Justin Hartley appears as Kevin and Sterling K. Brown as Randall in a season 4 episode of ’This Is Us.’NBC - Getty Images

Still, Justin was “irritated” with Chrishell’s comments on Selling Sunset.

Apparently, Justin wasn't too pleased with all the attention their split received, and what Chrishell said on the show.

"Justin has not watched the episodes but has been alerted to what is said," a source told Us Weekly. "He’s irritated that she’s airing their private information publicly and knows there is more to the story than is being told. His close friends and family know what really happened, as does Chrishell, so ultimately it’s her choice of what is put out there."

Justin’s first wife, Lindsay Korman-Hartley, defended him.

Lindsay and Justin were married from 2004 to 2012 and share a daughter. In 2020, Lindsay shared a positive message about her ex on Instagram that read:

“In a day when social media should be used for positivity… an inspiration towards movement in an honest and deserving way...I’d like to join in, by highlighting my appreciation for my family. Today, I appreciate my ex-husband Justin for not only being exemplification of a solid man, but for being my dear friend and devoted father to our daughter. Simply put; for being family... No matter what conflicts Justin and I had in the past, I appreciate what we have today and I am thankful for the family we have built.”

Chrishell dreaded seeing her divorce play out on the small screen.

While Chrishell was willing to speak candidly about the divorce on Selling Sunset season 3, she still found herself nervous about what viewers may think.

"It’s an embarrassing, humiliating type of thing to go through without cameras and without people judging you, so I just hope people are gentle when they watch," she told Us Weekly. "We’re real people. This was a traumatizing time in my life and it’s going to be hard for me to watch it myself."

Chrishell changed her name.

Chrishell filed court documents to change her last name back to her maiden name, per Us Weekly. Chrishell and Justin both “participated in a Voluntary Settlement Conference” in mid-July 2020 “in an effort to resolve the issues in the [divorce] case fully and settle all of their claims, future and present.” They also agreed that Chrishell’s “name shall immediately be restored.”

Justin also connected with Sofia Pernas in 2020.

Justin was spotted kissing his former The Young and the Restless costar on May 28, 2020, per TMZ. She dropped him off at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute and picked him up several hours later.

It was the first time Justin was linked to a new love interest since his divorce filing. Justin played Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless from 2014 to 2016, Sofia joined the cast as Marisa Sierras between 2015 and 2016, and Chrishell had a recurring role in 2016. Now, Sofia plays Lexi Vaziri on the CBS action series Blood & Treasure.

Justin said he was “happy” post-breakup.

Justin cruised right on through after filing for divorce. "I’m a happy guy. I sleep like a baby. I don’t have anything on my mind," he told Entertainment Tonight in July 2020. "I treat people the way I want to be treated, and I have lovely friends who love me, and I love them. And I’ve got this wonderful daughter, and I’ve got a great family, and I am a very, very lucky, lucky individual."

Justin and Chrishell finalized their divorce in January 2021.

"Both parties entered into a confidential settlement as to terms of the divorce, including spousal support," a source told Us Weekly. The ex-couple's agreement is confidential, but a source also said that the pair did not sign a prenup.

Chrishell retained celebrity divorce attorney Samantha Spector.

Chrishell also moved on after the divorce.

Back in July 2021, Chrishell went Instagram official with Jason Oppenheim of The Oppenheim Group. While vacationing together in Italy, the two cozied up together on a boat: "The JLo effect. 🤷🏻♀️," Chrishell captioned the photos. She later removed the caption.

Unfortunately, the two split not long after. “My last relationship was such a beautiful relationship in every sense, except for the fact that we just want different things. There is still a lot of love there,” Chrishell told Women's Health. “I had an old school way of thinking that if you didn’t ride off into the sunset, the relationship was a failure,” she added. “And the relationship with Jason changed my thinking.”

They're both married now.

Despite their split, Chrishell and Jason moved on quickly after their divorce. Just two years and change after their split was finalized, both of them got remarried.

Justin and Sofia shocked everyone when they made their first red carpet debut as a married couple at the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The couple sported wedding rings that caught fans' attention, and it was later confirmed that they secretly wed, per People. Even now, neither of them has yet to share wedding photos on social media.

On the flip side (no pun intended), Chrishell found herself in a relationship with 30-year-old Australian singer G-Flip. Chrishell confirmed they were dating during the season 5 reunion of Selling Sunset.

"I recently have been spending a lot of time with someone that's very important to me. Their name is G Flip. They're nonbinary, so they go by they/them," she said, per People. "And they are an extremely talented musician."

Not long after, it was reported that G moved in with Chrishell. On May 10, 2023, Chrishell announced that she and G-Flip got married. "Love doesn’t always go as planned…
Sometimes it’s immeasurably better," she captioned the post.

Chrishell is keeping motherhood in mind for the future.

In fact, she's preparing to start a family... eventually. During an episode of Selling Sunset season 6, Chrishell shared with Jason that while she was previously worried about her timeline to have kids she feels, "like that pressure is off. When we want to do it, we want to adopt," she said. Then, in season 7, she said that she and G Flip were still planning on building a family together.

And there ya have it, folks. Stay tuned for (potential) baby updates in SS Season 7 reunion!

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