Season 2 of The Valley might give fans a front row seat to Jesse Lally‘s unexpected friendship with estranged wife Michelle Lally‘s boyfriend, Aaron Nosler.
Thanks to social media, fans know the cast has been filming in Hawaii in recent days. In one eyebrow-raising snap, Brittany Cartwright surprised her followers when she shared a photo of Jesse sitting on Aaron’s lap.
Michelle, 36, reshared the Instagram Story on Wednesday, September 4. The apparent bonding moment came as a surprise for some viewers who saw season 1 capture the end of Michelle and Jesse’s marriage. Us Weekly confirmed shortly before the show debuted that Michelle and Jesse, 43, filed for divorce following their fifth wedding anniversary.
As the season aired, Michelle and Jesse gave conflicting stories about what caused their split. Michelle claimed she made numerous attempts to save their marriage before ultimately being the one to file the divorce paperwork.
“I gave him a list. This is why I’m unhappy, this is what I need from you,” Michelle told Jana Kramer on the “Whine Down” podcast in June. “And so I think it was a combination of him just not believing I would ever leave. And he was very comfortable because at the end of the day, he could do whatever he wants.”
Jesse argued on a separate podcast appearance that he was blindsided by their breakup.
“We still had our issues [while filming]. But I didn’t think — until I watched the show, I was like, ‘Wow, it was really that bad. Like I did not see it at all,'” he admitted to Teddi Mellencamp on an episode of the “Two Ts In a Pod: Popping Off” that same month. “We had kind of swept everything under the rug.”
He continued: “She just gave me a couple of things that bothered her and I said I would work on it. … So it was like being a little bit more patient, being a little bit more present. Things like that is what she wanted me to work on, and she said she would stay if I did well.”
Michelle later moved on with Aaron, while Jesse started dating girlfriend Lacy Nicole. Michelle previously teased to Us that Aaron could be filming.
“We’re dealing with it a week at a time. We actually [watch] the episodes together. So the first time I watch it, we watch it together,” she exclusively told Us in May. “And so sometimes he has to give me pep talks. But he’s been super, super supportive in every way.”
Michelle also discussed how she got to a better place with Jesse because of Aaron. She said her boyfriend was “helpful with dealing” with her estranged husband amid their divorce. Jesse, for his part, gushed about his connection with Lacy.
“I’m super happy with her. We’ve been great friends and we recently started dating. She’s just an incredible personality and she’s such a loving soul,” he told Us that same month. “We’re just super happy right now to get back to a place of happiness. I just feel more grounded and she’s special. But it’s new, so we’re just taking it slow.”
The Valley is currently filming and season 1 is available to stream on Peacock.