Former Selling Sunset star Maya Vander has defended Nicole Young amid her ongoing drama with Chrishell Stause and has insisted she ‘deserves a second chance’ after she liked a ‘homophobic’ comment on social media.
The ongoing feud between Nicole, 38, and Chrishell, 43, reared its ugly head yet again in the explosive new season of the popular Netflix series – and this time, Maya was on hand to mediate the argument.
Maya, 42, made a surprise cameo in the new series and stopped by The Oppenheim Group offices in Los Angeles just in time for another epic showdown between the two women – which saw Chrishell continue to accuse Nicole of being homophobic after she liked a fan’s comment on Instagram which insulted her.
Nicole later claimed her apology to Chrishell was cut from the season seven reunion but insisted: ‘It definitely DID happen!’
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com about Nicole’s actions, Maya shared: ‘I think it was honestly miscommunication, because from what I understand, someone said a comment on Instagram that definitely supported Nicole and didn’t talk nicely about Chrishell, and Nicole naively liked the comment.
Former Selling Sunset star Maya Vander makes a surprise cameo in the new season of the Netflix series
Maya has defended Nicole Young amid her ongoing drama with Chrishell Stause
‘But I don’t think she really meant to like the comment about the hate against Chrishell. I think she just overly wanted to just like the comment of getting love for someone, that’s it [but] I think, she should have thought about it a little bit.’
Maya, who filmed her Selling Sunset scenes in February, continued: ‘I’ve known Nicole for a very long time, and I do like Nicole. I haven’t watched the seasons to understand what really went down there and why she came for Chrishell, but I do think that people deserve second chances.
‘Just because I know her… I will say, “move on, people make mistakes,” but it seems that the girls don’t really want to move on,’ she added.
Referring to the latest Chrishell and Nicole showdown in episode four, which ends with the latter apologizing, Maya said: ‘It felt a little bit stressful being all of a sudden in a pretty dramatic scene from what I remember when we filmed it.’
When asked if she thinks the The Oppenheim Group operates a toxic working environment – or if it’s all just for the cameras – Maya revealed: ‘The drama is real unfortunately. You have to keep in mind, when we film, we are in the office a lot but off camera, real estate is actually such a flexible business.
‘You’re not always sitting in an office and fighting – you go to your clients, you go to showings. Obviously, when we film and there is conversation it can be uncomfortable and less than ideal, and the sad part of that, is that’s actually what sells TV.
‘Unfortunately, nobody’s perfect. The drama is real, and you kind of go with it, but in the day-to-day life with our job and profession, we’re not always in the office sitting and fighting.’
Asked if she would ever consider returning to the Netflix show for good, Maya admitted: ‘I don’t think a full-time situation would work for me logistically, just because I’m in a different state and I have kids, and it’s very difficult to do the back and forth.
In the latest season, Chrishell (right) is seen having an argument with Nicole in The Oppenheim Group office
Despite appearing cheery in her cameo, Maya admitted to DailyMail.com that being back in the drama was ‘pretty intense’
‘Cameos would be nice to do, but then again, that drama in the office, I don’t know, it was pretty intense. I can tell you that,’ she added.
Another fallout which dominates season eight is the drama between Bre Tiesi and Emma Hernan, after the latter accused Nick Cannon’s baby mama of purposely bringing information about Chelsea Lazkani’s husband to camera.
During episode three, Bre, 33, is seen meeting up for cocktails with her friend Amanda Lynn, who proceeds to tell her that someone she knows has spotted Chelsea’s husband, Jeff Lazkani, at a hotel with another woman.
Bre, who has had somewhat of a tricky friendship with Chelsea, 31, since she joined Selling Sunset in 2023, made the decision to tell the mom-of-two about her husband’s alleged infidelity – on camera – and it led to Emma accusing her of setting it all up.
When asked if it would have been possible for Bre to orchestrate such scenes, Maya replied: ‘I think everything is possible in reality TV. I wasn’t there so it’s hard for me to say. If I knew about that situation, I don’t know if I would choose to blast it in front of everybody.
‘From what I heard, it was the first time she found out, so I think it’s a very tough situation. I don’t think that if I had found out, it wouldn’t have been my first interaction with Chelsea, if it was me.’
Maya’s comments come just days after Chrishell threatened to quit Selling Sunset after she found out that Nicole had secretly spread a rumor in season eight that fellow agent Emma Hernan had an affair with a married man.
The almighty fallout transpired last weekend when the agents were given screeners for the new episodes, with Chrishell claiming her friend Emma, 33, had been ‘blindsided’ by the ‘disgusting’ and ‘categorically false’ lie.
Shocked by the damning scenes at hand, Chrishell and her costar Chelsea Lazkani, 30, publicly called out Nicole and also accused Done and Done Productions, the company behind Selling Sunset, of ‘spreading lies for views.’
A scene from season eight which sees Bre Tiesi (right) tell costar Chelsea Lazkani a rumor about her husband
Chrishell and Chelsea have jumped to the defense of Emma Hernan (right) after Nicole alleged she had been involved with a married man
Throughout the new season, Nicole alluded to the fact that Emma was romantically involved with a married man and in episode 11, she told her costar Bre Tiesi about it and claimed: ‘She’s been involved with people she shouldn’t have been…’
‘Married people?’ Bre asked, as Nicole replied: ‘I wouldn’t trust Emma with my husband,’ to which Bre responded sarcastically: ‘Not a husband snatcher.’
Referring to the scenes in question, Chrishell wrote on her Instagram Stories: ‘Are we still giving air time to LIARS who just want air time?’
In another upload she wrote: ‘I will NEVER work on a show with her on it again. I would rather be sued.
‘Disclaimer when you watch just know she spews a disgusting lie about a bestie that is categorically FALSE and SUPER damaging. It is NOT TRUE.’
She then tagged Done and Done Productions and added: ‘You are disgusting for blindsiding her with this to see with the world instead of letting her at LEAST defend herself with the TRUTH.’
