Selling Sunset fans are getting answers to some of their biggest questions about Nicole Young‘s claim that Emma Hernan was involved in an affair with a married man.
“This was information given to me by a credible source,” Nicole, 38, told Netflix’s Tudum on Sunday, September 15, while standing by her insinuation. “I don’t mean that as an excuse. I own the fact that I said it, but this is not something I made up.”
Season 8 of Selling Sunset, which premiered on September 6, left cast members divided after Nicole brought up rumors that Emma, 33, was allegedly seeing a married man. Costars Chrishell Stause and Chelsea Lazkani came to Emma’s defense as she remained silent — until now.
“Nicole’s so-called ‘source’ reached out to me directly saying she never said what Nicole had been saying,” Emma said in a statement to Tudum, claiming that Nicole was sent a text message from the alleged source that said, “There was no affair.”
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Emma questioned why Nicole brought up gossip about her, adding, “Nicole was made aware by that source that the rumors she was spreading about me were absolutely not true, and despite knowing she was spreading lies, she continued to do so on camera over the following months. I am so disappointed that she would do such a thing to another woman.”
Selling Sunset viewers were hoping to see Emma and Nicole hash out their issues during a reunion but multiple outlets reported that there won’t be any special due to ongoing cast feuds. Keep scrolling for Nicole’s side of the story on why she brought up Emma’s personal life:
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According to Nicole, she initially wasn’t “comfortable” with mentioning the rumors on the show.
“I only talked about this because I assumed that Emma knew [that the rumor had been circulating]. I’d also been told there were going to be certain things that would be shown to support that,” she noted to Tudum. “For example, at the party featured in the season 7 finale, the woman who brought this information to me confronted Emma —it was a filmed event when both Emma and I were mic-ed up. This was not something I just came up with.”
Nicole issued an apology to Emma for “bringing it to the camera” when no one else spoke out about it.
“It would undoubtedly have been a smarter decision to not share this information because — without any of the context — it looks pretty bad. I also do very strongly and very confidently stand behind the fact that this is information given to me by a credible source,” Nicole continued. “Again, I don’t mean that as an excuse. I own the fact that I said it, but this is not something I made up, and I’m not a liar. That’s unfortunately where I feel like I’m in the defensive position because all the online things that happened before.”
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Did Nicole Try to Ask Emma About the Speculation?
“Emma and I just don’t have that type of relationship. I also thought she already knew [the rumor was circulating] because she was confronted by someone on camera,” Nicole shared. “It had much more weight to me because [the woman who first told me] felt strongly enough about this information to directly confront Emma about it. To me, that paints a very different picture in terms of her confidence in this information and her decision to go to her first.”
Nicole was asked what she would tell Emma if given the chance, to which she replied, “The person who told me this information is someone I’ve known for a very long time. The fact that she told me she’d already confronted you set the tone for a very different situation. Regardless, I do apologize for speaking about this.”
During the tell-all, Nicole maintained that she was never “maliciously” trying to hurt Emma.
“That’s not something that makes me feel good and certainly wasn’t the goal. Being a part of a reality show, we’re obviously often put in situations where we need to discuss things or people that maybe we wouldn’t normally discuss or wouldn’t want to bring up,” she explained. “But it’s part of doing our job. It’s tough because we don’t have a friendship, so I don’t know if any of my words would even be received. It’s also tough when she has close friends surrounding her. They really want to use any possible situation to come at me aggressively with another round of attacks.”
Does Nicole Think the Response to Her Comments Is Fair?
While reflecting on her Selling Sunset debut, Nicole questioned why Chrishell, 43, could accuse her of drug use without the same amount of backlash. (Nicole has denied Chrishell’s claims, which were featured on season 6.)
“There is absolutely a double standard. I feel like a lot of that points to the power dynamic, if you will, within the cast and people quickly jumping ship to be on [one] side. They don’t want to be on the receiving end of attacks now or in the future,” Nicole detailed. “It’s something that is constantly disappointing. Because it’s like, ‘Well, it’s OK when you say it, but then when roles are flipped it’s absolutely below the line and cannot happen.’ The things that I have been previously accused of still have very real-life repercussions that I deal with to this day.”
Nicole said it has been “frustrating” having other cast members involved in her issues with Emma, adding, “Especially from people who aren’t directly involved. Where was the same energy when I was being attacked for things that you all knew were false? Where were you to speak up on my behalf?”
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Where Does Nicole Stand With Amanza and Mary After They Shut Her Down on the Show?
Amanza Smith and Mary Bonnet both attempted to get Nicole to stop discussing the rumors while they were filming the show. Nicole can see that her costars had “good intentions” when trying to get her to not say anything on screen.
“But Mary’s reaction was, ‘Oh, is this still going on?’ I mean, her reaction very clearly showed that she knew exactly what I was talking about,” Nicole claimed. “I don’t know how she’s able to justify that reaction and then say that I’m lying, and it’s not true.”
Mary, 44, spoke with Us Weekly about the drama earlier this month, saying, “I don’t want any part of this. Emma is a very sweet girl and I feel bad for her being portrayed like that. I wish I didn’t know. It involves Emma and that’s all I wanna say. It’s morally upsetting to all of us. It’s just information that could really affect families, marriages and Emma’s reputation.”
The real estate agent also clarified that she had “no idea” where the speculation came from, adding, “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.”
Is Nicole Bringing Certain Drama Up for Screen Time?
“I’ve heard for three seasons now from other cast members that they attribute certain things I say on camera to me just looking for screen time. If I had the full 100 percent control and choice over what was aired and what was shown and what was filmed, I promise you, it would not be reacting to drama and being on the defense,” Nicole told Tudum. “There are so many other things and aspects of my life that I would love to show. I would like screen time that would show more of who I am as a person — but again, that’s not in my control.”
