It's a bold move to step out on a red carpet with a new date – even more so when said date is the person you had an affair with on national television. But The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Jessi Draper has never been one to shy away from drama. So, last night, when she stepped out on the American Music Awards red carpet with Vanderpump Villa star Marciano Brunette, there was only one question on every reality fan's lips: are Jessi and Marciano together?
Keen Mormon Wives aficionados will be more than aware that this isn't the first time the pair have been romantically linked. But this is the first time we've seen them together in a non-problematic context (read: Draper is no longer married to another man). Suffice to say, speculation is now mounting over the pair's official relationship status. Luckily, Draper dished the dirt during red carpet interviews, too. Here's everything we know.
Are Jessi and Marciano together?
It certainly looks like it. On the AMA's red carpet, the pair looked every bit the happy couple – matching black outfits and all. They had their arms around each other in pics and could be seen getting cosy on Draper's IG story. Brunette even seemed to give her a mid-ceremony foot massage in one post. Not exactly “just friends” behaviour…
That said, the couple don't seem to be seriously committed just yet either. Speaking to E! News during a red carpet interview, Draper explained that, “I'm single, going through a divorce and dating around, having fun. I have Marciano here tonight, but I'm just casually dating and living life.”
As for how their casual fling is going, Draper seemed pretty pleased. “I’m enjoying it every day," she said. "It's a blessing and I couldn’t be happier.” See, there's always light at the end of the tunnel, even when millions of viewers are privy to your on-screen drama.
When did they have an affair?
It all started in August 2024, when Mormon Wives cast members visited the Vanderpump Villa gang in Italy. Draper and Brunette apparently hit it off, and only a month later the pair were spotted in kissing in LA. This was a big scandal in the reality TV world – not least because, at the time, Draper was still married to her ex-husband, Jordan Ngatikaura.
Then, during the finale of Mormon Wives season two, Brunette alleged that their relationship had gone even further. “Soon as I saw her, [she] jumps into my arms, wraps her legs around my waist,” he told another Mormon Wives cast member, Layla Taylor. “I thought we were cool at the villa, but then she was extremely forward [at the bar].” He even went as far to suggest that Ngatikaura was aware of his wife's affair. “He doesn't know the truth about how extensive it was. It was not just a one-time hook-up thing. It's not like this was some freaking one-night stand.”
Draper's initial response was to deny the rumours, insisting that, if she were to have an affair, she wouldn't be “dumb enough" to get caught cheating in public. Eventually, though, the truth came out during a dramatic third season of Mormon Wives, which saw Draper confess to an “emotional affair” with Brunette that included some kissing. Since then, she's been pretty open about the whole debacle. In an interview with Vulture, the reality star admitted that the affair was both her defining on-screen moment so far and her biggest regret. “I definitely wouldn’t want to do that again, especially publicly," she said. “Definitely a huge mistake.”
What happened to Jessi's marriage?
In the wake of the affair drama, Draper – who formerly used her husband's last name, Ngatikaura – went through a 90-day separation period with her husband. This was a big focus on season three of Mormon Wives and, by the finale, it seemed like the couple had managed to work things out. “We're both going through a lot right now, but I think [Jordan]'s willing to tell his truth, too,” said Draper ahead of the season airing last year. “He's been very vulnerable throughout season three. We both just laid it all out there. There's no secrets, we are exposing it all.”
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It's not hard to understand why the couple would want to save their relationship. Draper and Ngatikaura got married in 2020 and, in the years since, built a blended family together, with their two children, Jagger and Jovi, and Jordan's daughter from a previous marriage, Peyton. But ultimately, it seems that the damage was too deep to overcome. In March, Ngatikaura filed for divorce, telling Us Weekly that it has “not been an easy decision and it comes with a heavy heart”.
Draper, on the other hand, held no punches when she addressed the split on an episode of Call Her Daddy. On the podcast, she claimed that she had been the one to end the relationship, following revelations about Ngatikaura's alleged use of escorts and attendance at “orgies or sex parties”. Nevertheless, the divorce filing itself came as a shock. “I actually found out that he filed through TMZ,” she told the Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper. “I did end it with him so I knew it was coming, but we had made an agreement to do it together and he blindsided me and filed because he wanted the headline first.
“My heart sunk because A, we agreed to tell our children together before filing and we haven't done that, including his daughter, who’s like 13 years old," she continued. So let's just say, the couple are no longer on good terms. For now, Draper is just processing the split day-by-day. “I have good and bad days. There's days where I'm bawling, can't get out of bed, there's days I can be here and do this but I just know the first year is going be the hardest,” she said on the AMA's red carpet last night. "We co-parent, which is great. We're just there for our kids. I love my kids more than anything so as long they're happy, I'm happy."
