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Scheana Shay is sharing her story in her memoir, My Good Side, which hit stands today. In the book, the Vanderpump Rules OG looks back at her upbringing, her time on the Emmy-nominated Bravo series, and everything in between, including her marriage to Michael Shay.
Fans saw Scheana marry Shay in an elaborate ceremony in Season 3 of Vanderpump Rules. Unfortunately, their marriage came to an end two years later when Scheana filed for divorce in 2016. The star reveals in her book that the end of their relationship was a combination of things, from Shay’s addiction to pills, to an emotional affair he had with another woman behind Scheana’s back.
According to Scheana, Shay’s party cocktail of choice was Vicodin and beer. While she acknowledged that there were some red flags earlier on in their relationship, it wasn’t until their wedding day in 2014 that she began to wonder if he had a substance issue. Scheana says she asked Shay not to drink alcohol so they could remember the night, rather than getting “wasted” and “pass out drunk.” He obliged, though she began to notice him “acting weird” as the night went on.
Shay was supposed to perform a song he wrote for Scheana at the wedding, but when it didn’t happen, Tom Sandoval suggested that he sing the song when the bridal party went back to their casita following the reception. But something was off.
“Back at the casita, as Shay was doing his thing, his eyes were completely glazed over, and he was unsteady on his feet, like he was about to fall down at any moment,” Scheana writes, noting that she was “confused” and “didn’t know if he had been drinking” in secret at that point. It wasn’t until a few weeks after the wedding that she finally got her answer.
“We were at Tom’s house, and he offered us these little blue pills, which he said were Ecstasy. I’d never done Ecstasy before and immediately said I wasn’t interested,” Scheana says. “Shay, appearing perplexed, said, ‘Wait, that looks like the pill you gave me at the wedding. I thought it was Adderall.’ We were both in shock.”
“Shay didn’t intend to get fucked-up that night. He just wanted an Adderall to stay up later,” she continues. “Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder why Shay had to take anything at all, even Adderall.”
Despite their dramatic end, which was documented in the Season 5 finale, Scheana says she’s in a “good place” with her ex-husband, and even reached out to him when his mom passed away in 2023. “He is an incredible person with a huge heart and love for his family, and I know he’ll make the right girl very happy one day,” she writes.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.