Selling Sunset – Jason Oppenheim Fires Back With Proof The Show’s Not Fake

As we have recently reported, Netflix’s hit reality show Selling Sunset has come under fire, with accusations that the show is fake.

Selling Sunset Jason Oppenheim

As we have recently reported, Netflix’s hit reality show Selling Sunset has come under fire, with accusations that the show is fake. While we noted we have enjoyed it whether it is or isn’t, as it’s a perfect escape from the current events going on in the world, Oppenheim Group owner Jason Oppenheim reached out to us to defend the show and give a statement on its validity. 

Jason Speaks Out

While yesterday we spoke exclusively to a prominent Hollywood Realtor in Beverly Hills to get the inside scoop on what was real and what was fake on Selling Sunset, Oppenheim reached out to us via his agents to offer up a statement and some proof. 

“Mary, Heather, Maya, and Christine were licensed and successful real estate agents at The Oppenheim Group many years prior to filming our show,” Oppnehim’s statement to CELEB began with. 

Amanza worked with us as a designer,” Oppenheim continued, “and has been a close friend of Mary’s and mine for many years. Chrishell was a practicing agent at another brokerage, many years previous to filming Selling Sunset.”

Oppenheim had more to add, stating that “As a licensed agent, Davina had transacted many deals before joining the team in 2018.”

“Any insinuation that the agents on our show are not experienced, successful, or licensed, evidences a complete disregard for the facts,” Oppenheim wrapped with stating. “Even a superficial investigation would identify previous team photos, hundreds of millions in transacted sales, and more than 50 years of combined licensed real estate experience from these agents.”

The Selling Sunset Cast Have Realtors Licenses

In addition to his statement, Oppenheim offered up the women’s real estate licenses (which we have documented below) in order to further prove they are truly real estate agents:

Selling Sunset realtor license proves show isn't fake

The Fake Claims

To review, here’s how this “fake” Selling Sunset scandal began in the first place: 

  • On August 18th, Chrissy Teigen– singer John Legend’s wife- tweeted about the show. She stated that “I will say I look at LA real estate a lot and have never seen any of these people lol either have our agents, who I have obsessively asked.”
  • In another tweet on the same day, Teigen added that “Maybe I also know everyone on tv plays up a character. They’re all doing that. You guys are… super mad at people who are in on the joke.”
  • Teigen’s tweets sparked a fire, with tons of people responding to her. One notable response was a Twitter user who stated “I heard from someone that lives across the street from their office that it’s literally ALWAYS closed, no one is ever there. She did see one guy in there once, but not anyone from the show.”
  • After Teigen’s tweets, chatter also began to spring up that the women on the show were not even real realtors, and had been cast for the part.
  • This then led to a multitude of the cast responding, trying to shut down any rumors that the show was fake:Oppenheim, for his part, invited Teigen to “come by the office and say hi,” noting that his team “works tirelessly” and asserting their place in the realty world. Cast member Mary Fitzgerald explicitly stated to US Magazine that the show is “not fake,” but did acknowledge sometimes scenes may be shown out of order and that producers “encourage us to talk about things that we normally wouldn’t want to talk about.”Cast member Maya Vander offered her services to Teigen if she’s ever looking for a home in the Miami area via US Magazine, asserting that she is indeed a realtor. Cast member Chrishell Stause stated on her Instagram story in one post that “I’m really a real realtor- LOL.”Cast member Heather Rae Young stated to Access Hollywood that “We all are very active real estate agents and we are very, very busy at the moment.”On The Gay and The Girl Podcast, Fitzgerald’s husband, Romain Bonnett, stated that “Heather has her license. Maya works in Miami, she has a license. Amanza…when she got her license, she celebrated with us. Mary has it. Heather, I believe, she closed a deal not long ago. I don’t talk to Christine. But, Heather I believe … when they bought their house they are living in right now, she closed the deal.”
  • While this was a lot of defense, an article that came out on TMZ three days ago called the entire “authenticity” of the show into question again. Specifically, TMZ ran a report detailing that Fitzgerald and Bonnett had actually gotten married 19 months before their wedding aired during the second season on Netflix. 
  • According to TMZ’s report, a copy of their license and certificate of marriage shows that the Fitzgerald and Bonnett tied the knot on March 9th, 2018 at the Ventura County Courthouse. TMZ’s report explains that Selling Sunset’s first season did not even begin taping until July of 2018, and that on that season Bonnett proposes to Fitzgerald. Bonentt also stated on that season, as TMZ mentions, that he had been dating Fitzgerald for “a little over a year” and, when pressed on the show about if a marriage with Fitzgerald was in his future, he alluded that they’d have to wait and see, obviously knowing that the pair were already legally married. 

What’s Next?

We have reached out to Oppenheim to still clarify some more of the chatter surrounding the show’s authenticity- specifically referencing that TMZ report- so make sure to stay tuned.

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