It’s been a few months since the Dancing With the Stars world was rocked by scandal when former professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev was arrested for corporal injury to a spouse after an ugly altercation with his now ex-wife Nikki Garcia. Artem was released the same day, and did not face criminal charges. However, his reputation was tainted.

Now that Artem and Nikki are divorced, the former has shared how his arrest had affected his career. He’s even stated that he lost $100,000 in income because he lost social media revenue and dance opportunities. In a new interview, Artem reflects on how his mugshot, which was plastered all over the internet and magazines, forever changed his life.

Artem Chigvintsev Revealed That His August 2024 Mugshot “Ruined” His Life

Artem Chigvintsev Was Arrested After A Domestic Dispute With His Ex-Wife, Nikki Garcia

Being a celebrity with a mugshot does not often bode well, especially when it comes to landing job opportunities. When Artem was arrested in August 2024 for alleged domestic violence during an altercation with his then-wife Nikki Garcia, his mugshot went viral.

People were shocked to see a beloved DWTS pro getting arrested for something so serious, and his mugshot changed many people’s opinions of him.

In a February interview with The Glamorous Grind podcast, Artem spoke openly about how his mugshot “ruined” his career and his life.

“Maybe because I’ve been on TV, it’s like you being judged by the media before anything. I think with the mugshot it first really hit me, first of all, it hit me just even being in the police station and being arrested,” Artem shared.

Artem claimed that he was “in denial” when he was arrested and couldn’t believe it was happening to him. He continued, “I remember being in Target and seeing Star magazine, and I was on the cover, my mugshot.” The former DWTS pro shared that he felt he couldn’t defend himself due to the stigma that a mugshot automatically makes you appear guilty.

“When [you] have a mugshot, you’re guilty immediately. There is not even a question of, like, what happened,” he said.

Although Artem was the one who was arrested, in late September 2024, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office shared in a press release that Artem would not face any criminal charges. Artem has always maintained his innocence since his August 2024 arrest.

“While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence,” Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said in a statement included in the release. “We are required to prove any and every criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system. If the available evidence doesn’t rise to this level of proof, then we cannot ethically file charges.”

Artem and Nikki had both filed restraining orders against one another following his arrest and were set to battle it out in court with regard to their divorce. However, they decided to settle their divorce outside of court and dropped the restraining orders. Their divorce was finalized in November 2024, and Artem had a significant day in court when a judge ordered shared custody of Matteo.

Artem Changed Careers And Focused On Construction Following His Criminal Charges

Nikki Garcia Believed His Work In Construction Was “Beneath Him”

Artem was also asked about his career change in construction after his criminal charges lost him major income.

“It’s going great. It pushes me into the different areas of life that I actually always wanted to do, but never really had the push. I love construction. Always have … I think I learned a lot about myself in the past months,” Artem shared.

Back in October 2024, People obtained Nikki’s restraining order, which stated that Artem was “cut from the upcoming season” of DWTS “a week before the domestic violence incident and had not been able to find other work as a dancer.” Her filing stated that “Artem had been growing increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling,” while he believed having to work in construction to make money “was beneath him.”

However, TMZ obtained Artem’s legal documents that refuted his ex-wife’s claims. He appeared to be enjoying his new career venture, sharing projects on social media. This came after he admitted to losing $100,000 in income because of his criminal charges. People obtained his filing in response to Nikki’s restraining order. It read:

“It is not true that I have not been able to find other work as a dancer. I normally start jobs in November and it goes for 20 weekends. After the mug shot and the arrest based on her false allegations, I was taken off the website faculty list resulting in loss of over $100k in income.”

“I also lost the social media promotion revenue, which she continues to benefit from as she was more worried about her career when she lied to the police, than mine,” Artem shared in his filing.”

Nikki Garcia Broke Her Silence

The Former WWE Wrestler Is Moving On From Her Ex-Husband

After her divorce from Artem was settled, Nikki returned to her podcast The Nikki and Brie Show, which she co-hosts with her twin sister, Brie Garcia. In a December 2024 episode, she shared how the past few months had been for her. She detailed:

“I disconnected from social media, from the world, and I just knew that I needed to disconnect because first things first, I’m a mom and my son’s protection and privacy is the most important. So I was gonna do whatever it took for that most importantly, and then just needing space for healing, for facing trauma head on, all of that.”

“It’s been really tough. I’ve been heartbroken. Sad. You know, you dream of having this family and you have this incredible love and it just goes the other way. And you go from having a great love story to having a terrible one. And I never saw any of it coming, you know, as far as, like, what the ending would be.”

In the same episode, Nikki also touched upon her relationship with Artem. She revealed that she “played it up [that] things were a lot better than what they were” because she didn’t want another “failed public relationship.”

Nikki also appeared to be moving on from Artem. Speaking with her sister on their joint podcast, the former WWE wrestler spoke openly about what she was looking for in a potential partner.

“I want to be owned. I want my body rocked,” Nikki declared after the women spoke about the men they spotted during the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Nikki and Artem first met on Season 25 of DWTS. After Nikki ended her engagement to John Cena, she and Artem went Instagram official in 2019. Their son Matteo, was born the following year, and the couple tied the knot in August 2022.