Let’s be real for a second. If you’ve spent any time on Netflix recently, you’ve probably seen Bre Tiesi strutting through multi-million dollar mansions on Selling Sunset. She’s got this "don't mess with me" energy that feels earned, not just performed. But before the designer blazers and the Nick Cannon headlines, there was a whole other chapter that some fans have actually forgotten about. Or, more likely, they only know the messy headlines from 2019. We’re talking about her marriage to Johnny Manziel.
It’s one of those Hollywood pairings that, in hindsight, feels like a fever dream. A Heisman winner at his lowest point and a model trying to help him find the surface. But when you look at Johnny Manziel and Bre Tiesi today, the story isn't just about a failed marriage. It’s about two people who basically used each other as life rafts until the raft finally popped.
The Paris Proposal and a Secret Wedding
Johnny and Bre started dating back in late 2016. This was a dark time for Manziel. He’d just been cut by the Cleveland Browns, his NFL career was basically a smoking crater, and he was struggling with sobriety. Honestly, he’s been open about the fact that he was in a "downward spiral."
Then came Bre.
Manziel famously told TMZ back then that she "saved his life." He wasn't being hyperbolic. She was the one who pushed him to get his mental health in check and stay sober. They got engaged in Paris in March 2017—super romantic, very high-end—and by March 2018, they were married.
They didn’t do the big, bloated celebrity wedding thing. It was a private courthouse ceremony in California. No cameras. No massive guest list. Just two people trying to build something stable while the world was waiting for Johnny to fail again. For a minute there, it actually looked like it might work.
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Why Johnny Manziel and Bre Tiesi Actually Split
The peace didn't last. By March 2019, exactly one year after saying "I do," the whole thing imploded.
Bre went on Instagram and scrubbed every single photo of Johnny. That’s the modern-day equivalent of throwing your wedding ring into the ocean. When fans started chirping in the comments, she didn't hold back. She explicitly mentioned that "vows were broken."
Basically, she accused him of cheating.
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While Johnny was trying to make a football comeback in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes, things were falling apart at home. The "rough patch" wasn't just a disagreement over where to live; it was a full-on betrayal. Johnny eventually confirmed the split to TMZ Sports, calling it "very personal and very sad."
It took a while to make it official, though. Their divorce wasn't finalized until November 2021. Bre celebrated with a "divorce party" featuring a cake that said "I do, I did, I'm officially done." Johnny, surprisingly, commented on the post with laughing emojis, saying "Congrats to us." It was weirdly amicable for a situation that started with cheating allegations.
The Selling Sunset Reunion
Fast forward to 2024, and the two actually ended up on screen together again. In season 8 of Selling Sunset, Johnny shows up as a client. Yeah, you read that right. He reached out to his ex-wife to help him find a $4 million house in Los Angeles.
There’s this one scene where they’re standing on a balcony, and it gets heavy. Johnny actually apologizes. He admits he was a "lost, depressed kid" who was "getting drunk every night and living in a nightclub." He even admitted to the cheating, acknowledging he did a lot of things "behind her back."
Watching it, you get the sense that Bre has moved on—she’s got her son, Legendary Love, with Nick Cannon and a massive career—but she still needed to hear that apology. She told the cameras that it made her feel like the effort she put into "saving" him wasn't entirely in vain.
Where They Are in 2026
Johnny’s football days are officially done. He’s said as much. These days, he’s living in Scottsdale, playing a ton of golf, and doing the podcast circuit. He recently launched a show called Glory Daze where he talks about his past mistakes without the filter of an NFL PR team.
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Bre, on the other hand, is a powerhouse. She’s transitioned from "NFL wife" to a legitimate real estate player. She’s proven that she wasn't just a side character in someone else’s drama.
Lessons from the Manziel-Tiesi Saga
- Rock bottom isn't a great foundation for a marriage. You can't "fix" someone into staying faithful.
- Rebranding is possible. Both of them have successfully changed their public narratives since 2019.
- Closure matters. That Selling Sunset conversation, while filmed for TV, showed that you can actually sit down with an ex and acknowledge the mess without starting a war.
If you’re following their journey, the best thing you can do is look at their current projects rather than the old tabloid clips. Check out Bre’s latest listings at the Oppenheim Group or listen to Johnny’s podcast for the unfiltered version of his NFL exit. They’re both very different people than they were at that California courthouse in 2018.
Next Steps for Readers:
- Watch Season 8 of Selling Sunset for the full context of their 2024 reunion.
- Check out the Netflix documentary Untold: Johnny Football if you want to see the sports side of his downfall (though it notably skips the marriage).
- Follow Bre’s professional Instagram for a look at how she’s built a career independent of her high-profile exes.