The recent season of Netflix’s Selling Sunset unveiled one of the show’s most intense conflicts, as Emma Hernan exclusively labeled her co-star Nicole Young an “evil human” after Nicole spread a damaging rumor about Emma having an affair with a married man. The allegation, which first surfaced in Season 8, has caused a major rift among the agents at The Oppenheim Group, drawing in other cast members and leading to public confrontations.
The Explosive Accusation
The drama began when Nicole Young brought up a piece of office gossip on camera. During a conversation, Nicole insinuated that she had heard from a “reliable source” that Emma Hernan had “likely had relations with a married man.” She defended her decision to discuss it, stating the information was “morally upsetting.”
However, the moment was met with immediate discomfort from other cast members. Amanza Smith urged Nicole to “stop talking,” warning her, “You’re about to step in a giant pile of s**t.” Mary Fitzgerald also seemed to recognize the rumor, asking Nicole, “Still? That’s still going on?” before stating they did not need to discuss it while filming.
Emma Hernan’s Heated Response
When the episode aired, Emma Hernan did not hold back her feelings. In an exclusive interview, she reacted to the segment, saying she was completely blindsided by the accusation.
“Oh, this evil human,” Emma told E! News. “I was completely blindsided by all of this. I had no idea that this was going on the entire season… It’s disgusting.”
Emma vehemently denied any truth to the rumor and accused Nicole of being “a pathological liar and just an all-around disgusting human being.” She expressed her frustration that she was not given a chance on the show to defend herself or show proof against the claims, which she labeled as “slander” and “defamation.” Emma also stated she has “no desire to speak to that evil human” and demanded a sincere apology.
Nicole Young’s Explanation and Apology
In the aftermath, Nicole Young broke her silence in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum. She apologized for bringing the rumor to camera but stood by the fact that she did not invent the story.
“I do apologize for bringing it to the camera,” Nicole said. “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 claimed she only discussed the rumor because she assumed Emma already knew about it, citing that the source had allegedly confronted Emma on camera at a previous event. She maintained that her intent was not malicious, saying, “I want her to know that this wasn’t something I was maliciously doing to take her down.”
Castmates Take Sides
The conflict quickly pulled other agents into the fray. Chrishell Stause, a longtime best friend of Emma’s, was fiercely protective. Even before Season 8 premiered, Chrishell took to Instagram to blast Nicole, calling her a “liar” and stating the affair rumor was “categorically FALSE and SUPER damaging.”
Chrishell wrote, “I will NEVER work on a show with her on it again. I would rather be sued.” She later told E! News that Nicole had “proven the snake that she is.”
Chelsea Lazkani also joined in, targeting Nicole on social media by calling her “the most diabolical piece of [trash]” for starting the rumor. Emma publicly thanked both Chrishell and Chelsea for having her back during the situation.
The Fallout and Ongoing Tension
This incident is not the first conflict between Nicole and other cast members. Her history of feuding with Chrishell is well-documented, and this latest drama has further isolated her within the group. According to reports, the tension culminated in a heated confrontation during a Friendsgiving dinner filmed for Season 9, where Nicole made a comment about Chrishell’s late parents that shocked the table. Following this incident, it was reported that filming with Nicole was temporarily paused.
While Nicole stated she was “never fired” from The Oppenheim Group, she acknowledged the environment had become “very contentious.” She explained that not coming into the office to work was not a huge deal, as each realtor is an independent contractor.
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