Janet Caperna was surprised to learn about the rumors of Michelle Lally having a secret boyfriend from watching an episode of “The Valley,” where Kristen Doute made the allegations to producers away from the cast. Despite the revelations and subsequent separation of Michelle and her husband Jesse Lally, Janet remains skeptical of the rumors and wishes Kristen had addressed the matter directly with Michelle to allow her a chance to respond.
Janet Caperna learned about Michelle Lally’s alleged secret boyfriend from watching an episode of “The Valley,” expressing shock and disappointment that the rumors were not addressed directly with Michelle by Kristen Doute, who made the allegations.
Just like us, Janet Caperna was glued to her TV when she first caught wind of the whispers about Michelle Lally. Rumors were swirling that Michelle had a secret beau, and Janet was all ears during the latest episode of *The Valley*. “When we saw the episode, that was the first time I had heard anything about a boyfriend,” Janet spilled the beans to *Us Weekly*. She was recounting how Kristen Doute dropped the bombshell to producers, far from the prying ears of the cast. Janet was gobsmacked. She hit pause and asked her husband, Jason, to rewind. “Did Kristen just say ‘boyfriend’? What is going on here?”
Janet’s shock mirrored ours. “Because Kristen didn’t say that in front of all of us at the table. She sneaked down to the lobby, spilling the beans in front of cameras and all. But at the time, I was clueless she said that.”
The drama peaked during the Tuesday, April 23, episode. Kristen was holding onto Michelle’s “secrets” and finally let the cat out of the bag after Michelle’s husband, Jesse Lally, lost his cool with several cast members. “Because she had a f—king boyfriend for a year. There, we all said it. Now she’s protecting him and not me,” Kristen vented. About a year ago, Michelle and Jesse were hitting a rough patch. Michelle found solace in another guy. They were hanging out, and honestly, I wasn’t against any of this. Jesse? Not a fan.
Even after the episode aired, Janet wasn’t buying what Kristen was selling. “I wish Kristen had the guts to say this in front of Michelle,” Janet told *Us*. “So Michelle could’ve had a chance to defend herself. To explain her side of the story. But no, Kristen waited until the coast was clear. That’s just a massive bomb to drop. Michelle deserved a chance to speak for herself.”
Janet is still scratching her head over whether Michelle needed to clear the air at all. “I don’t know if there’s anything to come clean about. Still kinda confused on that one.”
Jesse and Michelle, now on separate paths after nearly six years of marriage, were the talk of the town with infidelity rumors since *The Valley* hit the screens earlier this year. In a sneak peek for next week’s episode, Michelle denies any truth to Kristen’s claims to Jesse. But it’s a mystery if they knew about the footage of Kristen alleging Michelle has a boyfriend.
According to Janet, Michelle’s schedule was too packed for a secret romance. “[Tuesday] night was the first I heard of any of this,” Janet shared. “Michelle’s juggling a full-time job, a 4-year-old [daughter Isabella], and a husband. I’m like, ‘When does she have time for a boyfriend?’ If she does, she needs to give me a time management course.”
*The Valley* was filmed last summer. In real-time, Michelle recently hinted she’s seeing someone new after her split with Jesse. “Someone amazing. I like our little privacy for the moment,” Michelle teased on Instagram. Her goal? “To be friends one day” with Jesse.
Shortly after Michelle hinted at her new romance, Bravo fans thought they spotted the mystery man in Brittany Cartwright’s Instagram Story of a group outing. They speculated the man is financial advisor Aaron Nosler.
Janet admitted she hasn’t met Michelle’s new flame yet, but her husband has. “Jason actually knows him from their single days. As soon as she mentioned his name, you bet I went and looked him up immediately.”
*The Valley* airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET and streams on Peacock the next day.
*With insights from Christina Garibaldi.*
