Did Marciano Brunette Cheat on Jessi Draper?
Marciano Brunette doesn’t shy away from relationship drama. In fact, the Vanderpump Villa alum owes at least some of his celebrity status to infidelity headlines. He’s been open about how his romance with Jessi Draper became a dramatic storyline across the reality TV world. This time around, though, he insists everything is on the up and up.
Drama erupts as fans believe Marciano Brunette cheated on Jessi Draper
Marciano, 33, found himself in the hot seat this week after a scene from Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas went viral. In the show’s second episode, Marciano is seen making out with Vanderpump Rules star Audrey Lingle in Las Vegas. Lisa Vanderpump suggested on the show that Marciano was being unfaithful to Jessi, and fans quickly piled on.
At first glance, that’s exactly how it looked. As far as fans knew, Marciano and Jessi had been a couple for several months, and there he was, passionately kissing someone else. Coupled with Lisa’s comments, fans were ready to take Marciano down. But apparently, there’s a lot more to the story, and it all comes down to timing.
An insider claims nothing bad went down
While Marciano’s steamy scene might have made it look like he was stepping out on Jessi, an insider insists it’s a timing issue. Sources told TMZ that although the show is just airing now, the moment with Audrey happened back in May. At that point, Marciano and Jessi had been casually dating for only about a month. According to those sources, the pair didn’t become exclusive until August, long after Marciano’s moment with Audrey was over.
Jessi’s own words from that time back up the timeline. At the American Music Awards on May 25, where Marciano was her date, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star told E! News she was single, in the middle of a divorce and dating around. “I’m just casually dating and living life,” she said.
The couple didn’t make things official until Aug. 31, when Jessi posted a carousel of vacation photos to Instagram with the caption, “Do these photos make me look like a girlfriend?” Fans assumed they were exclusive months before the photo dump, but according to TMZ’s sources, they weren’t.
Marciano and Jessi are fighting back, too. Both posted on social media to deny the cheating claims and accused Lisa of using their relationship to boost ratings for her new show.
A romance born in scandal
Part of why the clip struck a nerve is the couple’s complicated history. Jessi and Marciano first met in August 2024, when the Mormon Wives cast traveled to Italy to film with the Vanderpump Villa crew.
Rumors about the two quickly followed. Jessi initially denied anything beyond friendship. Then, in the Season 2 finale, which aired in May 2025, Marciano claimed the two had slept together. In Season 3, Jessi admitted to a roughly two-week emotional affair with Marciano while she and then-husband Jordan Ngatikaura were separated. She has said they kissed twice.
Jessi and Jordan briefly reconciled, but he filed for divorce on March 19, 2026. The two, who share two children, have since finalized the split. For now, Jessi and Marciano seem more than happy together.
