Michelle Saniei claimed that Jesse Lally is "broke" during The Valley Season 2's third episode, and that’s not all she revealed about her estranged husband's alleged money problems.
On The Valley After Show, Michelle doubled down that Jesse "is in a lot of financial trouble," before breaking down how his expensive taste and spending habits got him to that point.
She explained that their joint luxury real estate business was "very successful" — with them both selling $20 million to $60 million homes — prior to her getting pregnant with their now-5-year-old daughter Isabella.
"The problem was, once I had a baby, I was working less, and he just stopped working," Michelle elaborated in the above After Show clip. "He got comfortable and he just thought, like, 'OK, I'm just gonna start spending, but not continue to make [money].'"
"We did have millions of dollars," she added. "And that money was gone."
How did Jesse Lally allegedly lose his money?
As for where those millions went, Michelle said that Jesse — who famously described a $20,000 lunch for four in The Valley Season 1 — was living outside their means to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak. Whereas he would buy $50 wines when they first started dating, that amount gradually increased to $5,000, according to Michelle. "He had no problem spending an enormous amount of money on wine," she shared.
Michelle also theorized that Jesse talked about Capri in Italy so often because he "always wanted to be as wealthy" as the people who vacation there.
"We would sit down at tables with people with a lot of money, and he always knew, like, we don't have that kind of money," she said. "But he wanted to feel like he was them."
What Michelle Saniei said she pays for amid Jesse Lally divorce
Elsewhere on the After Show, Michelle also accused Jesse of "constantly texting" her about paying him her monthly portion of the health insurance that they "have to share" until their ongoing divorce is finalized.
"He's like, 'You need to send it to me now because I don't have any money,'" she claimed. "But in the same breath, he has no problem tagging and going out to Craig's that night to have a fancy dinner."
During Episode 3, Michelle also told her friends that, not only can Jesse not afford his rent, but he "spent all of [their] money," leaving her with "nothing" amid their divorce. She also said that he doesn't pay her "one dollar of child support" for Isabella.
Jesse Lally responds to Michelle Saniei's claims about his money
Jesse, for his part, did not confirm or deny Michelle’s claims about money. "I think it's inappropriate to discuss personal and private financial stuff. That should be saved for the family," he responded on the After Show. "But if Michelle wants to use it as her ammunition, I'm just not gonna comment on it."
As he saw it, they "lived a great life," and as 50/50 business partners, they were at "equal fault" for any potential professional failures.
"Michelle had 100 percent access to all of our accounts, from investment accounts to Isabella's savings accounts to shared accounts to personal accounts," Jesse continued. "So, if there was an issue with spending, Michelle is 100 percent at fault as well. And that's really all I'm going to say about it."
Ultimately, he chalked his estranged wife's comments up to her pushing her "main narrative" that he's "such a bad person."
As Jesse elaborated, "Michelle's biggest thing this summer, she said, 'No matter what I do, everyone loves Jesse.' … To say "no matter what I do," means she's actively trying to make people hate me. And if she has this narrative that I put us into [financial] ruin, then great, I accept that."
Get more info by watching The Valley After Show clip at the top of this post, and don't miss how Jesse reacted to Michelle's major life change that she "conveniently forgot to tell" him about.
