Why Heather Rae El Moussa Says Filming Selling Sunset Was “Very Toxic”
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Originally appeared on E! Online
Heather Rae El Moussa is glad this chapter of her life has sunset.
The Selling Sunset alum recently reflected on her six seasons on the Netflix series and suggested that, ultimately, not being asked back for season seven—which began filming shortly after she gave birth to her and Tarek El Moussa's son Tristan in January 2023—was for the best.
"On the show, I was pretty much level-headed the whole time," Heather said on the said on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast April 3. "I was kind of friends with everyone, I kept things pretty chill in my life. But it's very toxic—you're around a bunch of women, everyone wants to be stars on the show, and number one, and they'll kind of do anything."
But while she said the first seasons were fun, things changed as the show grew in popularity. "It just got worse and worse," the 36-year-old said of the onscreen drama. "They started adding more girls, it just became out of control. There'd be days I came home crying from the stress of filming."
Another aspect that was tough on Heather—who is also stepmom to Tarek and his ex Christina Hall's kids Taylor, 13, and Brayden, 8—was the intense film schedule.
Heather Rae and Tarek El Moussa's Cutest Moments With Son Tristan
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"I never knew when I was going to be filming," she explained. "'It was last minute, it took over my life. It was hard to do my real job—real estate. It was hard to do anything else."
She added of her family, "I was away from [Tarek] all the time, I was away from our kids all the time. I'd be gone for like 12 to 14 hours, it was crazy. They just want more and more and more."
E! News has reached out to Netflix for comment but has not yet heard back.
These days, Heather is much happier working alongside Tarek—with whom she tied the knot in 2021—on their HGTV show The Flipping El Moussas, which premiered in 2023. And despite any prior hard feelings of her exit from the show—which Heather described as "frustrating" at the time—she's happy with the way things have ultimately shaken out.
"It was a blessing that I wasn't asked to come back," Heather reflected. "Because I'm so much happier filming my show with Tarek. We're co-producers on our show so we pick the hours."
While Heather enjoys being able to spend more time with her loved ones at home, keep reading to see updates on the love lives of her former Selling Sunset costars.
Jason Oppenheim
Jason was on the market for a while before sparking romance rumors with tennis player Genie Bouchard in January 2024, though it's unclear where they stand.
The Oppenheim Group owner previously dated real estate agent Chrishell Stause for seven months but they broke up because, as she put it, "our ideas for family" were ultimately not "aligned."
He also dated model Marie Lou Nurk for 10 months before their split in May 2023.
Chrishell Stause
Chrishell married nonbinary musician G Flip in May 2023.
In a May 2022 Instagram video, Chrishell opened up about her relationship with the 27-year-old. "I am attracted to masculine energy and I don't really care about what the physical form is," she explained. "With G, they identify as nonbinary. They really feel like they are a mix. They identify on both sides of male and female. I personally find [it] such a beautiful mix and it's probably why we did connect on such a deep level so quick."
Brett Oppenheim
Brett sparked romance rumors with tattoo artist Samantha Abdul in 2022, after dating Australian model Tina Louise.
Though we caught a glimpse of their relationship in season five, the duo went public with their romance in April 2021 but broke up in December.
Sound like a similar timeline to Jason? Must be twin telepathy!
Christine Quinn
Christine Quinn is married to tech CEO Christian Dumontet—who goes by Christian Richard in the show. They have been married since 2019 and welcomed their first son Christian Georges Dumontet in 2021.
The couple started their own real estate company called RealOpen, which allows buyers to purchase a home using cryptocurrency, according to the company's website.
In March 2024, Christine accused her husband of domestic violence that "resulted in injury" of their son, she wrote in a restraining order request. He denied her abuse or domestic violence allegations.
Heather Rae Young
Heather Rae Young married HGTV's Tarek El Moussa on Oct. 23, 2021.
The day before the wedding, Tarek—who was previously married to Flip or Flop co-star Christina Haack—wrote on Instagram, "If you had asked me four years ago I would've told you I was never getting married again and honestly I didn't even think I would find love. Then one day Heather jumped onto my boat, looked at me, smiled and the rest is history. Thank god for that day."
The two welcomed their first baby together in February 2023.
Mary Fitzgerald
Mary Fitzgerald married Romain Bonnet in 2019 during season one of Selling Sunset!
But while we got to see the two love birds tie the knot, Mary's rep confirmed to People that they actually had "a civil union a couple of months before the show began filming in June of 2018, but they chose not to tell any of their friends or family, as they were still trying to see if their relationship would work out in the long term."
She shared in April 2023 that she suffered a septic miscarriage.
Chelsea Lazkani
She married Jeff Lazkani in 2017 but filed for divorce in March 2024 over irreconcilable differences.
They share two children: 5-year-old Maddox Ali Levon, and 3-year-old Melia Man.
Emma Hernan
Emma is single and ready to mingle!
The real estate agent revealed to Today that she is "single and dating" and "open to a relationship," adding that she is "open to something moving a little bit more serious."
So what happened to Selling Sunset property developer Micah McDonald? After being seen flirting it up in season five, Emma says they still talk and "have a great relationship."
"TBD what happens with that," she told Today.
Amanza Smith
Amanza, who has two children with ex-husband and NFL star Ralph Brown, keeps her relationship status on the DL.
In an April 2022 E! News interview, she revealed that she's been in a secret relationship.
"That's the one thing that I've been able to keep a secret, so now it's almost like a goal," she said. "I'm glad that it's gone this long and if it comes out, it comes out. But it's almost fun to keep that private."
But by the following August, Amanza made things Instagram official.
Maya Vander
Maya Vander has been married to her husband David Miller since 2017 and they went on to welcome children Aiden Vander and Elle Vander.
In December 2021, Maya tragically lost her third child during a stillbirth at 38 weeks pregnant. In May 2023, the pair welcomed a baby girl named Emma.
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