As Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fans still look for answers on what really happened between star Demi Engemann and Vanderpump Villa‘s Marciano Brunette, he is sharing alleged receipts to suggest that they had a bond beyond friendship.
“You want receipts? I am going to give you what I can,” Marciano, 32, said in an Instagram video posted on Friday, May 29. “Unfortunately, it isn’t everything. But I am going to try to show you how this started and went down.”
Marciano recalled Demi, 30, allegedly getting in touch with him after he was fired from season 2 of Vanderpump Villa mid-production. He posted a photo leaving Italy, which Demi responded to, according to screen grabs he shared on social media.
“Immediately I got a follow and a DM from Demi. You guys can see right here that I’m just as shocked,” he continued. “I made a light-hearted joke about it and from there she tells me to call her. She gives me her phone number, which led to multiple hours of conversation after that.”
In the alleged DMs between Marciano and Demi, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star asked Marciano to call her and shared a phone number, which he blurred out.
“What I am trying to say is that Demi has made some crazy allegations about me,” Marciano noted. “But if that were the case, why are you following and DMing me and giving me your phone number and having a continued relationship after that? It doesn’t make sense to me whatsoever. All I am going to say is there’s so much more of this that will come out and honestly I can’t wait for you to see it.”
After sharing the alleged messages, Marciano released a separate statement addressing Demi’s claims that he acted like a “predator.” (Demi also said on the “Viall Files” podcast in May that she “had opened up to all the girls after Vanderpump Villa [and told them] that I’d been groped,” but didn’t use Marciano’s name.)
“I really do wish I could speak more on everything but like I said the WHOLE truth will come out soon! I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not condone s3xual assault in any way, shape, or form,” Marciano wrote via Instagram Story. “It’s a serious matter that should never be taken lightly! But at the same time I do not support or excuse anyone who falsely claims s3xual assault, as that harms real victims and undermines the gravity of the issue.” (Demi, for her part, has not publicly reacted to Marciano’s posts and has only documented a recent family trip with husband Bret Engemann.)
Demi initially shared her allegedly tumultuous experience with Marciano when season 2 of Vanderpump Villa aired in May.
“I did come out with a pretty bold and true statement against Marciano [recently] because at that point it was like, ‘You’re lying about me. Actually, you were the predator.’ So I’m not going to stay quiet — and I stand by that statement,” she exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “There’s more happening behind the scenes with that that will come to light. I’m sure at this point it’s become a legal matter. There’s not much more I can say on it as of now because I want to preserve the fact that it’s a serious situation. But I stand behind those statements.”
Demi called it “bold” of Marciano to “try to get ahead” of the narrative.
“He’s trying to protect him. He’s in the wrong, and I think he’s scared. It’s fair to say that [the] majority of people that will come forward and are trying to speak out on things or diminish my experience or come out, it’s the protest too much oftentimes,” Demi shared. “It’s not always the case — but especially with people who weren’t involved in the situation that are going to come forward and have so much to say about it or opinions on the matter. To me, it’s a clear sign of damage control.”
She continued: “I’m just trying to stay in my lane as much as I can. I am trying to control what I can control, lean on my husband, lean on my family and then handle it professionally and handle it the best way that I possibly can. Given the fact that I was a victim in this situation, that’s how I’ve decided to handle it. There’s no right or wrong way to handle this type of situation but I am doing the best I can. Luckily I have the support of my husband and the truth on my side.”
In addition to his drama with Demi, Marciano appeared on season 2 of Mormon Wives and alleged that he had a separate affair with Jessi Ngatikaura.
“I will say that it’s not what he made it sound [like],” Jessi, 32, who is married to Jordan Ngatikaura, told Bustle last month. “What he said was not accurate. I wish I could speak now. … Honestly, yeah, he’s a piece of s***.”
