Credit: Instagram
Season eight of Selling Sunset has fans talking. Much of this has to do with the drama between Chelsea Lazkani and Bre Tiesi. However, there have also been rumors on the show of Emma Hernan having an affair with a married man. Specifically, it was Nicole Young that ushered in the discussions. Now, Mary Bonnet is reacting and coming to Emma’s defense. Plus, she’s opening up about reliving being sexually assaulted as a teen for her new memoir.
Mary has been a cast member on Selling Sunset since 2019. In addition to being back for season eight, she has a new memoir coming out. The book is called Selling Sunshine: Surviving Teenage Motherhood, Thriving In Luxury Real Estate, and Finally Finding My Voice. It hits retailers on September 24 and is being published by HarperCollins.
Recently, Mary discussed her first reaction to the affair rumors about Emma. She said to US Weekly, “I don’t want any part of this. Emma is a very sweet girl and I feel bad for her being portrayed like that.”
For context, Nicole hinted at the rumors to both Mary and Amanza Smith while the cameras were rolling. She told the ladies she’d heard the gossip from a “source.”
Mary added, “Emma explained it to me but it was nothing like what Nicole said. So I just feel really bad that she’s going to be put into that light. In my opinion, even if something like that happened, I don’t agree with it. But you don’t do that to the world — you don’t blast someone out like that.”
She then confessed that she didn’t know why Nicole said this.
“We didn’t know she was gonna do that. I don’t think any of us even thought anything about it. So I don’t know why it got brought up. I still don’t remember why it was brought up. But it’s going to cause some problems for sure.”
She also shared why she doesn’t believe the rumors. According to Mary, “She’s very picky with who she dates. So I can’t imagine it’s true.”
Mary concluded by saying Emma had been upset by the rumors and that she felt bad for her. It’s also important to note that both Chelsea and Chrishell Stause have come to Emma’s defense and called Nicole a liar.
Mary also spoke to US Weekly about some more complex topics from her memoir. She first opened up about not giving up during her most trying times.
The Selling Sunset star said, “There were so many days where I would just cry and [say], ‘Why does it have to be this hard?’ But I just wouldn’t give up. I wanted to give other people hope.”
One of the topics she discussed was becoming a teenage mother. She shared, “Things happen for a reason. Every place I went, I was a baby with a baby, and I was judged. It was really hurtful [but] because of that, I’m able to deal with the criticism we get on the show. I didn’t know at the time that that was setting me up and thickening my skin.”
She also opened up about being drugged and sexually assaulted when she first moved to Los Angeles. She says she will never fully heal from the emotional turmoil it caused.
“I still am affected by it. It’s something that will probably never 100 percent go away.”
She went on to share that her husband’s touch sometimes even causes adverse reactions. According to Mary, “I don’t know if that will ever change, but I think I’m dealing with it very well by sharing the story. The hardest part was that I blocked a lot of it out [for] survival, so I had to go back, actually relive it, talk about it, and try to remember how I felt.”
Mary, who has suffered from the issue of infertility, also talked about her contributions to women’s health with the outlet. She said, “I’m actually speaking out more about it. I joined the board of directors for AAGL, which is a women’s health organization helping [to] raise money for different research and outreach programs globally.”
She continued, “There [are] so many issues, like endometriosis, that affect people’s fertility, and [they] help people get the services they need. I decided to use [that experience] as a platform to try to help other people.”
Mary also shared what she hopes readers take away from her upcoming memoir. She said, “Whatever it is that you’re going through, you’ll get through it, just like everything else in your life. Just keep believing in yourself because I never believed that I would be where I am now either. Stay positive. Pick yourself back up and be happy. Appreciate all the good things — because they will come.”
Fans can watch Selling Sunset on Netflix.