Before any more trash-can emojis come her way, Selling Sunset star Nicole Young would like to explain herself. 

Amid the fallout from Season 8, which dropped earlier this month, one particular moment has caused more noise than nearly anything else that transpired: a rumor swirling around The Oppenheim Group watercooler about an agent’s alleged extramarital affair. Nicole, who first brings up the gossip about her co-worker Emma on camera, has stayed quiet — even as the social media chatter around her has gotten particularly loud. That is, until now.

“This was information given to me by a credible source,” Nicole tells Tudum. “I don’t mean that as an excuse. I own the fact that I said it, but this is not something I made up.”

Despite having regrets about how everything ultimately unfolded, Nicole maintains that she didn’t harbor any malicious intent when she brought it up. Many of the other cast members, however, tell a different story — Emma most of all. 

“Nicole’s so-called ‘source’ reached out to me directly saying she never said what Nicole had been saying,” she tells Tudum. In fact, Emma alleges the source sent Nicole a text message saying “there was no affair.” Emma continues: “Nicole was made aware by that source that the rumors she was spreading about me were absolutely not true, and despite knowing she was spreading lies, she continued to do so on camera over the following months. I am so disappointed that she would do such a thing to another woman.” 

So why did Nicole decide to drop the bombshell to begin with? Where does she stand with the rest of the O Group agents today? And what would she say to Emma if she had the chance? Keep reading below to hear from Nicole, who for the first time answers every question you have about Selling Sunset Season 8. 

Before the new season aired, there was a flurry of social media posts from various Selling Sunset agents targeted at you. You’ve remained relatively silent until now, so what have these past few weeks been like? 

I’m doing OK now. Before the show aired to the public, it was a bit of a stressful week. It can be hard, because I feel like I’m constantly on the defense. In this situation I was like, “Let’s just take a back seat, wait until the show comes out, and let the audience judge for themselves.” It was a lot. But for me, getting involved in a very public, messy back-and-forth online feud just takes so much energy. It’s not something I want to get involved in — and not a good look for anyone.

Of course, we’re making a dramatic reality show. We’re all going to have a bit of mud on our face. I knew I was going to take some heat for certain parts. But when I woke up that next morning to trash-can emojis and everything that happened from there on out, I was really shocked. It was just like, “OK, here we go again.” But it also became clear to me that there were potentially quite important things in context that [the other cast members] were unaware of. I just needed to be patient and wait for my moment to be able to share my side.

Let’s start with the dinner in Pioneertown when you first mention the rumor about Emma. Why did you bring it up at the table? 

Initially, it wasn’t something I was comfortable with or planned on doing. I only talked about this because I assumed that Emma knew [that the rumor had been circulating]. I’d also been told there were going to be certain things that would be shown to support that. For example, at the party featured in the Season 7 finale, the woman who brought this information to me confronted Emma — it was a filmed event when both Emma and I were mic-ed up. This was not something I just came up with. 

Do you have any regrets about bringing it up on camera? 

I do apologize for bringing it to the camera. It would undoubtedly have been a smarter decision to not share this information because, without any of the context, it looks pretty bad. I also do very strongly and very confidently stand behind the fact that this is information given to me by a credible source. Again, I don’t mean that as an excuse. I own the fact that I said it, but this is not something I made up, and I’m not a liar. That’s unfortunately where I feel like I’m in the defensive position because all the online things that happened before.

Did you consider speaking with Emma directly and giving her a chance to respond on camera? 

Emma and I just don’t have that type of relationship. I also thought she already knew [the rumor was circulating] because she was confronted by someone on camera. It had much more weight to me because [the woman who first told me] felt strongly enough about this information to directly confront Emma about it. To me, that paints a very different picture in terms of her confidence in this information and her decision to go to her first.

What would you want to express to Emma now if you could speak with her? 

I would tell her that the person who told me this information is someone I’ve known for a very long time. The fact that she told me she’d already confronted you set the tone for a very different situation. Regardless, I do apologize for speaking about this. I want her to know that this wasn’t something I was maliciously doing to take her down. That’s not something that makes me feel good and certainly wasn’t the goal. Being a part of a reality show, we’re obviously often put in situations where we need to discuss things or people that maybe we wouldn’t normally discuss or wouldn’t want to bring up. But it’s part of doing our job. 

It’s tough because we don’t have a friendship, so I don’t know if any of my words would even be received. It’s also tough when she has close friends surrounding her. They really want to use any possible situation to come at me aggressively with another round of attacks.

You’ve also been on the receiving end of serious allegations, especially in Season 6 when you were accused of doing drugs.

There is absolutely a double standard. I feel like a lot of that points to the power dynamic, if you will, within the cast and people quickly jumping ship to be on [one] side. They don’t want to be on the receiving end of attacks now or in the future. It’s something that is constantly disappointing. Because it’s like, “Well, it’s OK when you say it, but then when roles are flipped it’s absolutely below the line and cannot happen.” So it’s like, “Which one is it?” The things that I have been previously accused of still have very real-life repercussions that I deal with to this day.

It’s just frustrating, especially from people who aren’t directly involved. Where was the same energy when I was being attacked for things that you all knew were false? Where were you to speak up on my behalf?

Where do you stand with Amanza and Mary? At the Pioneertown dinner, it appears as if both of them were also aware of this rumor but didn’t want to comment on it. 

I think they had good intentions trying to get me to not say anything. But Mary’s reaction was, “Oh, is this still going on?” I mean, her reaction very clearly showed that she knew exactly what I was talking about. I don’t know how she’s able to justify that reaction and then say that I’m lying, and it’s not true.

Anything else you’d like to address after seeing the response to Season 8? 

I’ve heard for three seasons now from other cast members that they attribute certain things I say on camera to me just looking for screen time. If I had the full 100% control and choice over what was aired and what was shown and what was filmed, I promise you, it would not be reacting to drama and being on the defense. There are so many other things and aspects of my life that I would love to show. I would like screen time that would show more of who I am as a person — but again, that’s not in my control.

This interview was edited and condensed for length and clarity.