We all knew it was coming, the casting shakeup heard around Bravo. On The Real Housewives of Orange County, the OG Housewives franchise, the OGs are... gone and the newest Housewives are taking over. (With the help of Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson, and Gina Kirschenheiter, who remain.) Three new housewives are joining RHOC this season, and one of them has already earned herself a storyline before the show even premiered. That, of course, would be RHOC's Noella Bergener and her husband (Sweet) James Bergener, who filed for divorce before the season even hit television. For the sake of reality TV, you love to see it.
Back in August, newcomer Noella and her husband — referred to, frequently and seemingly professionally as — Sweet James, announced their split after only one year of marriage. It doesn't end there. When it comes to Sweet James and Noella's marriage, which is poetically spoken about in the premiere of RHOC — painfully, so — the separation is just beginning of the drama.
So if you're watching the premiere, and find yourself wondering, "What's the deal with Sweet James?" just know you're not alone. And I've got the answers for you.
Career...
- Sweet James is the name of James Bergener's law firm, and Sweet James is also his nickname in the biz
- He's a lawyer in California, and got his JD from Whittier School of Law
- He's a member of the Law Review, Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Forum, and has recovered "hundreds of millions" of dollars for clients
Personal...
- He likes to ride motorcycles, which is beneficial for those who find themselves as motorcycle accident victims (always be networking, you know?)
- He seems fairly confident in the nickname "Sweet James," for reasons I do not know
- He married Noella in June 2020, after they met online
- He has a 2-year-old-son, also named James (TBD if little James is also "Sweet")
Their marriage...
- Noella filed for legal separation on August 2, just about a month after RHOC started filming (per Us Weekly)
- She cited "irreconcilable differences" for their split
- TMZ reported that Sweet James filed for divorce in Puerto Rico as well
- Per court documents, Noella requested primary and physical custody of Little Sweet James, and asked that her estranged husband only have visitation rights
- There was also a request for spousal support
The juicy stuff...
- Per Us Weekly, it was reported that James owes the IRS and California almost $6 million combined in taxes
- According to Us Weekly, Noella talked about the reports in a comment on All about the Real Housewives Instagram and said, "I was just as shocked and disgusted to find out a week before filming … and not from husband ... My marriage has been a fight every day since. I am being very open about my journey and looking at every option to settle my husband’s debts."
The good news for us is that it all was filmed and will be on this season of the OC. In the first look, Noella can be seen crying and saying "my life is falling apart." Of course this is incredibly sad and I wouldn't want any marriage to fall apart, but I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't make for great TV...Bravo is getting really lucky with these story lines aren't they?
Images: Instagram, @noellanoelbergener