Who Is Chrishell Stause? Everything To Know About Real Estate Agent On 'Selling Sunset' On Netflix And Her Divorce From Justin Hartley
Season 4 of 'Selling Sunset' premieres this spring.
getty In April 2019, Netflix released "Selling Sunset," a reality television show set in L.A. The show follows real estate agents attempting to sell homes in Hollywood's most elite and exclusive housing market.
The women work for The Oppenheim Group and have high-profile clients to whom they sell their high-end properties.
However, the real drama comes from the stars' personal lives, particularly the now-ex-wife of actor Justin Hartley, Chrishell Stause.
The show's first season opened with the tight-knit group of agents welcoming a new face — one that some of us definitely recognize. The second seasons had love, marriage, and heartbreak.
The third season had love and even more heartbreak, as Chrishells Stause's divorce was a major plot point in the show.
Here's everything we know about Chrishell Stause, her divorce, and the upcoming season of "Selling Sunset."
Who is Chrishell Stause?
And where have you seen her before? Well, aside from appearing on the reality show, she was married to actor Justin Hartley, who you might recognize from "This Is Us."
Unfortunately, Hartley filed for divorce last year after just two years of marriage. He reportedly ended their relationship with a text message.
Stause was born in Kentucky.
Stause was born Terrina Chrishell Stause in Draffenville, Kentucky to Jeff and Renee Stause. In season one, Stause credited her unique name to her mother, who went into labor while at a Shell gas station.
An attendant named "Chris" called for help. That's how "Chrishell" was created.
She's of Japanese and Spanish descent.
What nationality is Chrishell? Well, while Stause was born in America, she revealed her roots during a Q&A on Twitter. "My dad is half Japanese/half Spanish-mom is just a bunch [of] white stuff," she said.
She's starred in soap operas.
The 38-year-old studied theatre at Murray State University, and after graduating in 2003, landed a role as Amanda Dillon on "All My Children" in 2005. The character she played was one that returned after a five-year absence and was previously played by Alexis Manta.
After "All My Children" was canceled in 2011, she guest-starred on "Body of Proof" and was a member of the L.A. improv troupe The Groundlings.
In 2013, she started her role as Jordan Ridgeway on the NBC soap "Days of Our Lives." She was on the series until 2015 when her character was murdered, but it was announced that she would be reprising her role in 2019.
Stause has also made guest appearances on the soap operas "Mistresses" and "The Young and the Restless."
Of course, she's also a real estate agent in addition to her career as an actress. And on the first season, she was the standard newbie on the show.
Stause was previously engaged to Matthew Morrison.
From 2006 to 2007, Stause was engaged to Matthew Morrison, known for his roles on Broadway and as Will Schuester on "Glee."
In a 2007 interview, Morrison opened up about the relationship, saying, "We got engaged December 9th. I chartered this boat and had some friends decorate it and did a whole dinner and proposed in front of the Statue of Liberty. Then we had an engagement party right after that and she was trying to contact all her friends and stuff and tell them she had just gotten engaged, but no one was answering because I flew in some of her family and some of her closest friends and we were all having a party and stuff. It was fun."
On "Selling Sunset," Stause had some not-so-nice things to say about her ex. "I didn't know who I was at 25, and I didn't know what I wanted because, actually, if I ended up with the person I was with when I was 25, I would want to kill myself [laughs]... And yeah you can google that. You were a d***! Sorry," she said. Ouch.
Stause wed Justin Hartley in October 2017.
Stause started dating actor Justin Hartley in 2014. At the time, he was starring in "Revenge" while she was on "Days of Our Lives." They walked the red carpet for the first time as a couple at the 2014 Unbridled Eve Derby Prelude Party in West Hollywood.
At the time, she was co-starring alongside his ex-wife, Lindsay Korman, which sounds awkward, but not a far stretch for a soap opera star. Hartley and his ex-wife filed for divorce back in 2012 after being married for eight years. They have one daughter together, Isabella Justice, who is now 16.
Stause and Hartley announced their engagement in 2016 and were married a year later.
“They don’t make them any better than Justin, and I could not be more thrilled to officially be Mrs. Hartley!” she said at the time. “The wedding exceeded anything I could have ever imagined.”
She's also spoken about her marriage on "Selling Sunset," saying, "As somebody who is married, and I'm married to someone who is a wonderful person, sometimes it's fricking hard."
Hartley officially filed for divorce in November 2019.
On November 22nd, 2019, Hartley formally filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences.” However, the date of their separation was listed as July 8, 2019, meaning the couple had already been separated for some time.
They made appearances together and had seemingly upheld a civil relationship at that point, however.
According to a source, the Hartleys had “been having trouble for a while... In many ways, they’re somewhat fundamentally incompatible. Chrishell is really ready to just settle down and be a wife and stay-at-home mom and was hoping to start a family relatively soon... Justin wants that but also doesn’t think it has to happen in the near future and is at a point in his career where he wants to really be able to explore all the options that are coming his way. She thought babies would happen soon after they got married, but it just hasn’t worked out.”
The now-exes may have had a prenuptial agreement, as Hartley didn't want Stause to pay spousal support and wanted her to pay the legal fees on her own.
Which shouldn't be a problem, since Stause's net worth is about $5 million!
The divorce played out on season 3 of the show.
Before the second season aired, Stause opened up about how her separation from Hartley would play into it. She said, “The first eight episodes I came across a little unscathed, and then the second half of season 2 is a little trickier for me.”
She went on to explain, “This is still new for me trying to adjust to such an uncomfortable thing but unfortunately, yes, the cameras were there. I still had a month left of shooting when my personal life kind of exploded. It’s not a comfortable thing to live in front of everyone. If I’m being 100 percent honest with you, it’s friggin’ awkward. They were there and some of it is going to be shown and I’m dreading that."
Stause's divorce was finalized in February 2021.
Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley are officially divorced.
On February 8, 2021, a judge signed the divorce documents setting both Hartley and Stause free from their marriage. The couple originally called it quits in November 2019.
Details about the divorce have not been released.
Hartley is now dating Sofia Pernas.
In May 2020, Hartley was caught kissing Pernas. A source revealed shortly after that the two were in fact dating and already knew each other from work. The couple made things Instagram official with Hartley posting a photo of them on his account on New Year's Day.
Both Hartley and Pernas worked on "The Young and the Restless" from 2015-2016, and Pernas actually left a little before Stause made her debut on the show. Hartley's new flame speaks 4 languages, loves to cook, and is a complete bookworm.
Stause dated 'Dancing with the Stars' pro, Keo Motsepe.
Stause reportedly fell in love again during her time on the ABC competition show "Dancing With The Stars." However, it wasn't with her season 29 partner Gleb Savchenko, who filed for a divorce from his wife Elena Samodanova in December 2020.
Stause began dating "Dancing with the Stars" pro Keo Motsepe while in the midst of her divorce from Hartley. They began dating in December 2020, but the romance didn't last long.
The two were together for about three months before the drama exploded. After the breakup in late February of 2021, sources started spitting off different reasons as to why Stause and Motsepe were no more.
A source close to Stause called the breakup "friendly and cordial," while another source added that it was "a mutual breakup and they are still friendly."
However, another source close to Motsepe had something different to say about the whole mess, adding, "He enjoyed his time with Chrishell and was 100 percent in it. He's had a tough time with his mom's passing, but he really wanted to make his relationship with Chrishell last. Keo is heartbroken."
So, was it a cordial split where they remained friends, or was it a complete mess? Stause ended up calling Motsepe a liar on her Instagram story, which have now been deleted, just like all the posts of them together on her Instagram page.
One Instagram story read, "Ok I TRULY wanted to keep this drama-free, but playing the victim and bringing your mom into it is a step too far for me. Taking the high road is overrated sometimes!! I was also 100% in it as well, until revelations told to me recently have made me question if you could even order a coffee without lying."
It's safe to say these two probably won't be hanging out anytime soon.
Stuase is pro-Meghan Markle.
Stause was in the news recently for coming to the defense of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The buzz surrounding the must-watch Oprah interview has caused people to take sides, and Stause has done just that, stating her Twitter feed is pro-Markle.
Not only that, but she went after "Real Housewives" alum Bethenny Frankel after she posted an insulting tweet.
Season 4 of 'Selling Sunset' premieres sometime this year.
On Wednesday, March 10, fans of "Selling Sunset" got a surprise when it was announced that not only will there be a season 4, but a season 5 as well.
The entire cast of 'Selling Sunset' will be returning for season 4.
This comes after speculation that Davina and Brett might be leaving the show since they no longer work for The Oppenheim Group. Stause still works for Oppenheim, thankfully.
Plot-wise, season 4 will most likely focus on Christine's pregnancy, Chrishell's breakup with Motsepe, Heather's wedding planning, and Mary's newlywed life. Viewers may also find out what happened between the twins that led Brett to start his own real estate brokerage, and how the brothers are doing now.
The show hasn't started production nor has an exact streaming date been released except for Spring 2021. Christine, however, has hinted that filming may begin very soon and promised viewers bigger houses and even bigger drama.
Grab some popcorn and get ready for this drama-filled season!
Emily Blackwood is a freelance writer, editor and journalist who covers small business, pop culture, travel, health and wellness.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on April 2019 and was updated with the latest information.