Marciano Brunette is done staying quiet. The “Vanderpump Villa” star sat down with Harry Jowsey on the December 9 episode of the “Boyfriend Material” podcast and unloaded a full timeline of his involvement with Jessi Ngatikaura, his chaotic dynamic with Demi Engemann and how the fallout from both women has impacted his career, his future on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and—according to him—his mental health.
“This has f***ing changed me as a person,” Marciano said early in the interview. “In my mind, people think I’ve sexually assaulted someone. You think that’s not going to f with my head and mentally traumatize me where I am so overly cautious of every word and everything I do with anyone?”
Marciano originally entered the reality TV universe through season 1 of “Vanderpump Villa” in April 2024. But season 2 opened the floodgates when Jessi Ngatikaura and Demi Engemann crossed over from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” creating a messy intersection of emotional connections, accusations and storylines that Marciano says destroyed his reputation.
According to Marciano, he remained in contact with Demi after filming—something she has publicly denied. In May, she told Us Weekly, “Nothing happened with Marciano… I brought up my marriage multiple times. It sucks that we couldn’t just go and have a good time and that he couldn’t respect that.” Demi later accused him of sexual misconduct, leading Marciano to file a defamation lawsuit.
His attempts to clear his name on Mormon Wives season 3 ended with him admitting to an emotional affair with Jessi, who remains married to Jordan Ngatikaura.
Marciano Says He’s Still in Contact With Jessi’s Husband — and Almost Cut a Major Confession
Marciano confirmed on the podcast that he and Jordan now communicate directly, describing their relationship as “cordial.” “He definitely hates me for sure,” Marciano said. “But we’re on texting terms at least… He’s told me, ‘We’re never gonna be friends,’ but we can be in the same room together.”
Marciano also admitted he once genuinely liked Jordan. “He treated me very well. He was fun to hang out with. It makes me have that regret where I’m like, ‘I wish I never did this.’ Because he really is a good dude.”
When asked when he last communicated with Jessi, Marciano said it was in May, right before season 2 of Mormon Wives aired. “We were texting… She’s in New York and we’re FaceTiming.” Then he stopped himself. “Jordan was going through her phone. Damn it. Oh, I didn’t want to say that.” Harry offered to cut it from the episode, and Marciano said he needed to “think about it.”
According to Marciano, this discovery caused Jordan to call production, leading to both Jessi and Marciano being questioned. “We’re like, ‘No, we’re just talking.’ That was the last time I heard from her.”
Marciano also credited Lisa Vanderpump for supporting him throughout the allegations. “I love Lisa to death… She called me right away and said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re gonna take care of this.’” Lisa recently confirmed she reviewed all the footage and did not see anything nonconsensual.
Additionally, he claimed he was supposed to appear more in “Mormon Wives” season 3 before producers pressed pause. Now, he says he suspects they may want him back. “The production company followed me on Instagram,” he said. “I don’t know why.”
As for Demi, Marciano said he stopped speaking to her in March. “She did some things that I had to step away from… I was being advised to not talk to her because she is not filming.”
He also alleged he lost another major opportunity because of the controversy. “I was supposed to do The Perfect Match,” he said. “Less than a week before filming, they’re like, ‘We’re going in a different direction.’”
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