On a Season 2 episode of The Valley, Michelle Saniei claimed her ex, Jesse Lally, spent all their money in the midst of a heated argument. The comment piqued the interest of fans who wondered if Jesse’s lavish lifestyle was a facade. After the episode aired, Jesse spoke out about the claims and provided more context.
Here’s what you need to know about Michelle’s recent dig at her ex.
Jessse Lally sets the record straight about his finances after Michelle Saniei’s “broke” claim
Jesse addressed Michelle’s claim in an interview with Us Weekly. The Valley star admitted that his financial status is not what it once was, but clarified that it isn’t because of overspending.
“We lived a really great life, and we continue to live that life.” he said. “The real estate market slowed down in 2023 and 2024, and we’re both really at fault.” He also addressed Michelle’s claim that he blew money on expensive wine, stating, “This idea that I was spending all of our money on wine — that’s a lot of wine for very little storage in my little cellar, my wine fridges.”
However, Kristen Doute backed up Michelle’s claim on The Valley After Show. “I know some things that Michelle has said … are true,” she stated. “He would send photos, I remember, to the boys’ group chat [that] would be like, ‘This [is] a $15,000 bottle of wine.'”
Jesse also revealed that he and Michelle agreed not to discuss their finances while filming Season 2.
“We came in with a list of five things,” he said. “No. 1 on my list was finances, so we need to figure out a financial situation. You cannot talk about it. It was more to get these things figured out going into the start of filming, and it just didn’t work out the way that we had hoped.”
He added, “There were certain things that if I said something, she needed to fire back with something else, and those things that she fired back with were things that were on the list.”
Yeah, I think the list went out the window once he accused Michelle of sleeping with a billionaire for money.
The Valley Season 2 saw Michelle Saniei accuse Jesse Lally of receiving money from a gay man
In addition to calling Jesse broke, Michelle questioned why he was receiving money from a gay man.
“People deposit money to you. I have proof,” she said. “Why is a gay guy sending you money?”
The accusation seemed to come out of nowhere and the cast appeared to be as shocked as viewers at home. Jesse provided some clarity on the after show.
“It wasn’t like a huge amount of money. It was a birthday present,” he said. In retrospect, Michelle may have been trying to get even after Jesse accused her of being an escort. Honestly, I don’t blame her. He admitted he knew the rumor was false and yet, he still chose to continuously bring it up. Low blow, dude.
Jesse Lally thinks Michelle Saniei wants The Valley cast to hate him
Jesse had his own theory about why Michelle implied he exchanged money for … um … services.
“She’s just trying to do something so everybody hates me,” he said. While we don’t know Michelle’s motive, she did try to rally a vote to get him kicked out of the Santa Barbara rental. So, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched. The former couple has been at each other’s throats all season, and it seems unlikely they will be able to repair their relationship (they will, it just might take a minute).
In an April 2025 interview with Extra, Michelle gave fans an update on her and Jesse’s co-parenting relationship.
“It’s not going well,” she said. “I really try to limit any conversations. If I have to talk to him about our daughter, I will, but that’s as far as it goes … It’s a struggle. It’s very difficult. I’m trying my best. That’s all I can do.”
The Valley is available to stream on Peacock and Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MICHELLE AND JESSE’S RELATIONSHIP ON THE VALLEY? DO YOU THINK THEY COULD EVER BE FRIENDS?
