The Valley‘s Michelle Saniei confirmed she’s dating Dr. Dre, roughly two months after the new couple sparked romance rumors during a late April outing in Malibu.
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“He’s a wonderful person, and we just love spending time together,” Michelle gushed in an exclusive new interview with Bravo Insider.
The public first caught wind of a potential romance between The Valley cast member and the legendary, Grammy-winning rapper and producer when the two were photographed holding hands outside Nobu Malibu on April 25. The photos quickly went viral, while many speculated on the true nature of Michelle’s relationship with Dr. Dre.
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As for how she felt about the news getting out, Michelle admitted that she was as surprised as everyone else to see the photos hit the web. “I didn’t know that it was happening,” she added. “When everybody saw it is when I saw it. And, you know, I was just living in the moment.”
How did Michelle Saniei meet Dr. Dre?
Michelle and Dr. Dre “met through a mutual friend,” she revealed in her interview.
During a June 17 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Michelle clarified that the mutual friend had no connection to The Valley. Referring to their introduction to each other as “very natural, very organic,” she explained, “It wasn’t even a setup. We just happened to meet and we clicked.”
Michelle Saniei reveals more details on relationship with Dr. Dre
When Andy asked Michelle on WWHL for more specifics on what exactly “clicked” between her and the hip-hop icon, she further shared, “You know, I just go with the flow. I love people who are very positive and have good energy, and that’s what he is.”
Michelle went on to confirm that Dr. Dre has not met ex-husband Jesse Lally or their 6-year-old daughter, Isabella Lally. Additionally, she noted that the rapper does not watch The Valley.
The WWHL host also remarked that the relationship seemed to have been going on for a couple months already, to which Michelle responded, “He’s a great man, what can I say?”
The Valley cast reacts to Michelle Saniei dating Dr. Dre
Earlier, Michelle’s castmates Janet Caperna and Zack Wickham also sat down with Bravo Insider to share their first impressions of Michelle and Dr. Dre as a couple. In the days after the photos of their Malibu date went viral, Janet knew little more than the rest of the public. (At the time, neither had confirmed they were officially dating.)
“I feel like Michelle, she’s a very private person in general,” Janet said in April. “So, I feel like whenever she’s dating anybody, she normally likes to go on a couple dates first and make sure she’s feeling the person before she’s telling all of us. She doesn’t want to get invested in somebody that she’s like, ‘Oh, that didn’t end up working out for me.'”
That said, Janet went on to spill, “But I called her, and I got a little bit of tea, and I made sure to set a lunch date as soon as I’m back so I can get all of the tea.”
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Shortly afterward, Zack noted in a separate early May interview that he’d also yet to catch up with Michelle to get more intel. “I’ll find out just like everybody else,” he stated. “But the only person she told was Lala [Kent].”
When TMZ cameras caught up with Jesse in April, he told the outlet that Michelle had not given him a “heads up” about her new romance. “Yeah, I saw it on social media the same way as everyone else,” Jesse, whose divorce settlement with Michelle was finalized in October 2025, admitted. “Michelle’s divorced and she’s single, and whatever makes her happy is cool.”
Don’t miss an inside look at more of The Valley cast’s public comments about Michelle dating Dr. Dre.
—Reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
