More than a year post-split, Michelle Saniei and Jesse Lally are still experiencing major ups and downs — but mostly downs — amid their ongoing divorce.
The estranged couple argued about the logistics of raising their 5-year-old daughter Isabella in Season 2, Episode 2 of The Valley, and their co-parenting update on The Valley After Show indicated that they hadn't made much progress since then either.
"It has not been fun," Michelle vented in the video above, while Jesse separately added, "Our situation is not good."
Later, Michelle likened her and Jesse's current dynamic to a "roller coaster," explaining, "If he's in a good mood, he thinks that we're OK. And when he's hungover, in a bad mood, then it's all my fault. And so, I believe he's a great father, but he was a horrible husband and he's a horrible ex-husband."
Jesse Lally reveals Michelle Saniei "forgot to tell" him about a major life change
Further fueling their animosity is the fact Michelle recently moved in with boyfriend, Aaron Nosler, and "conveniently forgot to tell" Jesse, the luxury real estate broker claimed. "But I put the pieces together," he said.
Jesse wasn’t totally in the dark about Michelle and Aaron’s major relationship milestone, though. "Like a month prior, she said, 'I might, when my lease ends, be moving to Aaron's house. And I spoke to my lawyer, and there's nothing you can do about it,'" he admitted on the After Show. "That's how the relationship is."
Michelle, for her part, shared that the reason why she moved "a couple blocks away" from Jesse was because she didn't "want to take Isabella away from her dad." She added, "So we have a little bubble, and we split her 50/50.
Michelle Saniei and Jesse Lally explain their custody agreement
"We're doing our best with Isabella," Jesse insisted on the After Show. "We just changed her schedule, so we're doing every other weekend, 2-2-3, now, since the beginning of this year."
As Michelle put it, "Every two days, we see her, so that it's not a long time that she goes without each parent."
When Isabella gets older — and they both feel "it's appropriate" — she said they'll then switch to each having their daughter five consecutive days at a time.
"I don't want her to be, you know, a week without her mom or her dad," Michelle elaborated.
Jesse Lally details unseen conversations with Michelle's boyfriend, Aaron
According to Jesse, he had a conversation with Aaron last summer about keeping him in the loop about any major steps he planned on taking with Michelle.
When he found out that his ex was moving into Aaron’s house, "I contacted Michelle and her team and I said, 'Look, this a 30-something-year-old man with no experience with children. If Michelle can't perform her custodial duties, for, like, if she has to go out for girls' dinner or something like that, I have first right of refusal to take her," Jesse claimed. "Michelle said, 'Absolutely not.'"
A phone call with Aaron, seemed to clear things up, however.
"He's like, 'Oh, no, Michelle and I have had a conversation. I don't plan to be a caretaker. She's already said if this situation arises, she'll call you or get a nanny,'" Jesse added. "I'm like, 'Alright, so I proposed the exact same thing. Why did she say no?'"
He also asked his estranged wife's new boyfriend to visit his home to see what Isabella's "living arrangement is like." But Aaron allegedly responded that Michelle didn't "feel safe" with him doing that and offered to send pictures and videos of the space instead. Jesse said that "he never did," though.
Regardless, he conceded that Isabella is "very happy" with the living situation. "I know Michelle's a good mother and wouldn't put Isabella in a harmful position. And I know Aaron's a good guy and wouldn't do the same," Jesse admitted. "It's less about control, and it's more about safety and security."
See more in The Valley After Show clip above, and don't miss the damning declaration Jesse made about Michelle and Aaron's relationship.
