What’s Tea? The Latest Season of “Selling Sunset” Ends with Racism Allegations, A Couple of Stars Calling it Quits, and an Entangled Web of Supposed Hidden Truths
- Chinyere Ibeh
- 11 hours ago
- 9 min read
The Netflix hit show’s latest season ended in a fiery ball of mess as the cast’s relationships have strained.
Netflix’s hit reality show “Selling Sunset” hit the streaming service earlier this week for its ninth season, though it ended with quite the stir amongst the cast.
Viewers watched as the season featured the fires that ripped through California, a robbery hitting a cast member’s home, and a new cast member trying to make her way into the group. Though, the tension amongst the ladies of Oppenheim Group grew to unbearable levels.
Mary and Chelsea’s Petty Spat Turned Quite Ugly This Season
Mary Bonet suffered from a home invasion during the season. As she dealt with the aftermath, Chelsea Lazkani sent Bonet a small bouquet of flowers as a way to wish her well during the hard time. Bonet didn’t respond too well to the flowers as she and Lazkani had issues from the previous season.
The duo’s continued beef got ugly when the cast sat down for a company dinner meant to welcome the newcomer, Sandra Vergara — the sister of actress Sofia Vergara. The conversation led to Bonet confronting Lazkani about sending flowers after her burglary, accusing the British realtor of doing it for camera time.
“You’re here saying I did it for the cameras. What the f—k do you think I need camera time for? B—h they’re going to get my face regardless, trust me,” Lazkani said during the heated confrontation.
Chrishell Stause, former soap actress, jumped into the fray to note that it was a nice gesture on Lazkani’s part.
“How about you listen to your friends for once in your life, because this is going to look bad on you,” Lazkani quipped.
This led to Bonet storming out with her husband, Romaine, and fellow cast member Bre Tiesi. As they walked out, Jason Oppenheim can be seen telling the production crew to shut the cameras off. Despite those wishes, the cameras kept rolling until the entire cast ultimately left the restaurant.
The dumpster fire of the season continued when Tiesi hosted an after-party for the season’s premiere, and both Lazani and cast member Chrishell Stause were left off the guest list. Not only that, Bonet’s comments during an US Weekly interview added fuel to the fire.
“At [Tiesi]’s party, I wasn’t just emotional. There were some things from the other dinner that happened that I didn’t want to put myself in a situation where I’m in danger,” Bonet said.
Tiesi had hosted a Valentine’s Day dinner, and she had invited everyone in the office — including Lazkani. Even though Lazkani declined the invite, Tiesi still had her nametag on the table. Upon seeing Lazkani’s name, Bonet broke down into tears. She eventually calmed down as Tiesi told her Lazkani wasn’t coming to the dinner.
“I’m not upset because I saw her name or that she was going to be there. There were some issues where I just don’t want any part of this. I’m a grown woman and I’m a professional,” Bonet continued. “I don’t have this in my life and I’m not going to. I got upset and cried because of that. It was an actual issue. There were definitely things that were said afterwards that I don’t agree with and I won’t be around.”
Due to her reactions on the show, and her comments after, viewers called out Bonet for her microaggressions against Lazkani — the only Black woman on the show. Many questioned the disproportionate reaction to Lazkani’s flowers, as she received two Rolexes from Jason on camera.
Stause took to her Instagram story to call out Bonet’s comments in her US Weekly, condemning the harmful rhetoric.
“I was there for all the on-camera and off-camera moments. You were never in danger, girl,” Stause wrote. “Alluding that you ever were regarding Chelsea is really dangerous rhetoric. DO BETTER.”
Stause revealed she and Lazkani were supposed to speak with Bonet for the finale episode, though it never happened. According to Stause, the conversation never happened because Bonet said she didn’t feel safe with Lazkani in the room.
Chrishell Stause Faced Backlash for Calling Out Emma Hernan’s Toxic Relationship with Blake Davis as Well as His Political Views
Throughout the season, Stause made it clear how much she didn’t like the boyfriend of friend and cast member, Emma Hernan.
Viewers saw an uncomfortable lunch Stause and Lazkani had with Hernan and her real estate heir boyfriend, Blake Davis. During the lunch, Davis quipped how he had Taco Bell before coming — notably a crunch wrap without lettuce as he didn’t eat fruits or vegetables.
During the reunion, Stause further explains her disdain for Davis. She noted an instance where Hernan called her while crying and whispering on the kitchen floor. She claimed that Davis would say transphobic and racist things, notably saying the N-word while singing a song or saying that being nonbinary is like having a mental illness.
“He compared being nonbinary to having a mental illness,” Stause alleged. “He constantly pots anti-trans stuff.. He thinks it’s too woke if you don’t sing the N-word in songs. He posted something the other day, with a gun in view, saying he wants to ‘sue [me for lying] my dick of.’”
Hernan strongly denied Stause’s allegations throughout the reunion, and fellow cast members noted Stause shouldn't have posted about Davis’ alleged behavior. Stause attempted to explain her reasoning for publicly speaking about her allegations, noting that Davis posted these statements on his own social media accounts.
In her interview with Bustle following the season, Stause talked about the horrific things Davis would say and do throughout his relationship with Hernan.
“They would break up, and she would tell me the horrific things he would say to her, that he would do,” Stause said. “He thought it was funny to say, ‘If you ever do that again, I’ll beat you.’ Who jokes about that? It’s not funny.”
Bre’s Brash Attitude Has Her in Legal Trouble, Driving a Wedge Between Her, Stause, and the LGBTQ+ Community
While Stause was battling with Hernan about Davis’ alleged political views and toxic behavior, there was a brief moment when she brought up Tiesi’s alleged text messages.
The messages were allegedly directed at Stause's partner, G Flip, a nonbinary singer-songwriter. According to Stause in an Instagram comment, Tiesi can be seen berating people using homophobic slurs. These messages were brought up for a small moment during the reunion as Stause and Tiesi went back and forth about the authenticity of said messages.
“We aren’t allowed to talk about Bre’s lawsuit, or it gets cut, where she degrades multiple people,” Stause wrote.
The lawsuit in question features Tiesi’s former employees suing for creating a hostile work environment, according to PEOPLE. In the April 2024 filing, she was sued by three former employees: Lucy Pool (former nanny), Amanda Bustard (former social media manager), and Kenneth Gomez (former personal assistant and stylist).
They alleged that they were discriminated, harassed, and/or retaliated against due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The filing claims that the trio suffered emotional distress, a loss of earnings, and a loss of employment benefits.
According to the filing, Poole suffers from a mental disability and Tiesi allegedly called her “short bus riding b—h” and “ADHD idiot.” Poole also alleged Tiesi would treat her in a vulgar manner if a task wasn’t done correctly.
Bustard claimed that she was subject to violent and inappropriate behavior at the hands of Tiesi, noting that she witnessed the reality television star threatening physical violence to other employees. Gomez, who’s part of the LGBTQ+ community, alleges that Tiesi repeatedly made derogatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community.
On top of these allegations, Tiesi also allegedly violated California Labor Code regarding hours, conditions, and wages. As a result, the three Plaintiffs requested more than $3M to recover damages as well as gain remedies to rectify the situation.
The lawsuit loomed over Tiesi’s head during the filming of season nine, though it couldn’t be mentioned onscreen. Stause, posting the PEOPLE article to her Instagram Story, said they couldn’t bring it up during the reunion as it would be edited out.
Tiesi’s alleged work conditions and bigoted text messages weren’t the only issues between her and Stause as Stause previously called her out for promoting MAGA Bracelets.
Stause reposted one of Tiesi’s Instagram Stories, which featured Tiesi wearing some of the jewelry brand’s tennis bracelets. The brand is known to create bracelets sporting the acronym famously known for President Donald Trump’s political slogan, Make America Great Again.
“I do not politically speak on opinions ever and I am far from MAGA. I cannot apologise enough for the oversight here. I have a full social media team that support me day-to-day and the bracelet was gifted by [Lavara Verse] and not the brand that was tagged,” Tiesi wrote in an Instagram Story. “We all make mistakes and when tagging the brand, this was not properly researched into making sure the correct brand was being tagged.”
Following Tiesi’s apology, Stause took to her Instagram Story to note the inconsistency of the apology.
“I just saw her excuse,” Stause wrote. “Ok, she ‘tagged the wrong brand’ even though it’s all the same company and MAGA was HIGHLY featured right next to her wrist.”
Stause included a photo of the definition of “transv–stite,” insinuating Tiesi’s use of the word in reference to Stause’s partner. She notes that her partner isn’t transgender, and even if they were, she would still love them the same.
Nonbinary identities are included under the umbrella of transgender identity, though some nonbinary don’t identify as transgender.
The Drug Allegations Against Nicole Young Brought Up Again, Leading to Unsavory Comment on Stause’s Parents
During a Girlsgiving dinner hosted by Amanza Smith, Stause and Nicole Young butt heads again. The duo’s beef began when Young alleged that Stause took the credit and commission on one of her listings.
Facing shady business allegations, Stause accused Young of previously doing cocaine during a heated confrontation in season seven. The feud between the two grew as Young accused Stause’s then-friend Hernan of sleeping with a married man.
Coming into this season, Stause and Young had not resolved their beef and it boiled over during a Girlsgiving dinner — hosted by cast member Amanza Smith. The cocaine allegations came up again as well as Hernan’s alleged affair with a married man.
“I think you have me confused with parents,” Young said in response to the drug allegations being brought up again.
In the aftermath of the dinner, Young said she felt like her back was against the wall as both Hernan and Stause appeared to come for her during the dinner. Young appeared to double down on the sentiment for the rest of the season as well as the reunion.
Young was eventually let go from the Oppenheim Group due to the continuous conflict, and the disparaging comment. Later in the season, she announces that she and her husband will move to Nashville.
Returning to the Show Isn’t Worth It for a Couple of Castmembers
In an exclusive interview with Bustle, Stause announced her departure from “Selling Sunset.” She wrestled with the decision in the past, though this season appears to take quite the toll.
“I have to be honest — having come from nothing, it’s really hard to turn something like this down,” Stause said.
The show’s producers can be quite persuasive, though it would take “Jesus Christ himself” to get Stause back into the fold of “Selling Sunset”. Stause said show creator Adam DiVello, the brains behind “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” and “The Hills,” has been calling and texting her “100 times a day.”
“I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t need the show financially,” Stause continues. “I’m lucky to have other forms of payment, because it’s no longer good for my mental health.”
Viewers and social media users are convinced that Lazkani has also left the show for good, or that she was fired from the Oppenheim Group. Rumors of Oppenheim and Bonet firing Lazkani for calling them out for their microaggression and racism have swirled the internet. Many believe the firing was conveniently left out of the season finale.
Speaking of speculations, many believe Lazkani called Bonet out for her racism and microaggressions specifically during the team dinner for Vergara, leading to Oppenheim’s call for the cameras to turn off.
Viewers noticed Mary's reaction when Lazkani said what she said prior to storming out of the restaurant. It was supposedly this moment when Lazkani said something about the racism, though editors may have used a technique called “frankenbiting” to edit out what Lazkani actually said.
Stause did confirm Oppenheim's influence behind the camera in a TikTok comment section. A clip of Lazkani’s interview with Carlos King, during which she spoke about the microaggressions she faced during the season, struck a chord with Stause.
“This is heartbreaking. And WHY you shouldn’t have an all white production with an [executive producer] credit and editing power to [Jason Oppenheim] who has power to say, if you don’t take that out, there is no show,” Stause wrote.
The speculation continues to grow surrounding Lazkani’s exit as it has yet to be confirmed.