Jesse Lally of The Valley Addresses Michelle Saniei’s ‘Broke’ Allegations
The Valley’s Jesse Lally is clarifying his financial situation with estranged wife Michelle Saniei.
“This notion that I was pouring all our funds into wine — that’s a hefty amount for limited space in my small cellar, my wine fridges,” Jesse, 44, told Us Weekly exclusively on Tuesday, May 13. “We led a fantastic life, and we still are.”
In Tuesday’s episode of The Valley, an explosive argument erupted between Michelle, 36, and Jesse during the cast trip to Santa Barbara, California.
After Jesse accused his ex of being a prostitute — a claim he later admitted was a falsehood he regrets sharing on the show — Michelle responded fiercely.
“You’re a loser. You’ve wasted all of our money. It’s you,” she argued. “Why is a gay guy sending you money for your birthday?”
In a confessional segment, Michelle added, “If anyone should be an escort, it’s him because he’s the one who’s financially struggling.”
Jesse seemed to acknowledge that recent fluctuations in the housing market impacted their finances, while still denying being completely broke.
“The real estate market has slowed down in 2023 and 2024, and we’re both to blame,” Jesse explained to Us. “But she’s using that as a way to deflect.”
Before the first season of The Valley debuted in March 2024, Us exclusively confirmed that Michelle and Jesse had separated after nearly six years of marriage.
Since then, cameras have documented the couple — who are both real estate agents — as they navigate their challenges while trying to co-parent their 4-year-old daughter, Isabella.
In his recent interview, Jesse stated that he and Michelle met with a mutual friend to establish boundaries, discussing what topics would or wouldn’t be addressed on the show leading into season two.
According to Jesse, Michelle is not adhering to the agreements made.
“We came in with a list of five topics,” he said. “Finances were number one on my list, so we needed to sort that out. We agreed not to discuss it. The intention was to establish clarity before filming began, but it didn’t pan out as we had anticipated.”
Jesse continued, “Whenever I mentioned something, she felt compelled to respond, and those responses often related to what was on our list.”
The Valley airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. Stream previous episodes anytime on Peacock.
