It’s the kind of Hollywood story that feels like it was written by a screenwriter who’d had a few too many espressos. A disgraced Heisman winner meets a rising Instagram model. They fall in love fast, get married even faster, and then it all blows up in a cloud of deleted Instagram photos and cryptic "broken vow" captions. Honestly, the Johnny Manziel and Bre Tiesi saga is basically the blueprint for the "whirlwind celebrity romance" gone wrong.
But if you only know them from 15-second TikTok clips or the latest season of Selling Sunset, you're missing the actual weight of what happened between these two. It wasn't just a breakup; it was the final chapter of one version of Johnny Manziel and the origin story for the Bre Tiesi the world knows now.
The "Save Me" Era: How It All Started
In late 2016, Johnny Manziel was essentially persona non grata in the NFL. He’d been cut by the Cleveland Browns, dropped by his agent, and was spiraling in a way that had everyone—fans and critics alike—genuinely worried. Then came Bre Tiesi.
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They met through mutual friends, and by December 2016, they were inseparable. Johnny wasn't shy about how he felt. He famously told TMZ that Bre "saved" him from himself. At the time, he was trying to launch "ComebackSZN," a brand and a lifestyle aimed at getting him back under center in the league. Bre was the face of that support system. She wasn't just his girlfriend; she was his stabilizer.
Less than a year later, in March 2017, Johnny popped the question in Paris. Huge diamond, Eiffel Tower backdrop, the whole nine yards. By March 2018, they were married in a super-private California courthouse ceremony. No massive guest list. No media circus at the altar. Just two people trying to make a fresh start.
Why the marriage was kept a secret
For a while, nobody even knew they were officially husband and wife. They wanted to keep it low-key because, frankly, Johnny’s reputation was still in the gutter. He was playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL at the time, trying to prove he could still handle the grind of professional football. Having a steady home life with Bre was supposed to be the proof that "Johnny Football" had grown up.
When the Vows Broke: The Bali Incident
If the wedding was quiet, the split was a Category 5 hurricane. It all went south in March 2019—almost exactly one year after they said "I do."
Bre was on a girls' trip in Bali, living her best life, when something shifted. She flew back, and within days, every trace of Johnny Manziel was scrubbed from her social media. In the world of modern celebrity, that’s the digital equivalent of throwing your wedding ring into the ocean.
When fans asked what happened, Bre didn't hold back. She posted about "broken vows" and betrayal. She made it very clear that she didn't "do betrayal" for someone she was devoted to. Rumors of infidelity swirled instantly. It wasn't just one mistake; it felt like a total collapse of the trust they’d built during his darkest years.
The $5 Million Bender
In his Netflix documentary Untold: Johnny Football, Manziel got brutally honest about this period. He admitted to going on a massive bender after his NFL dismissal, spending millions on drugs and partying. While the documentary glossed over much of the marriage itself, it painted a picture of a man who wasn't ready to be the husband Bre needed.
The "Selling Sunset" Reunion: A Surreal Moment in 2024
Fast forward to 2024. Bre Tiesi is now a powerhouse real estate agent on Netflix’s Selling Sunset. She has a son, Legendary Love, with Nick Cannon. She’s moved on.
Then, in Season 8, Johnny Manziel walks into an Oppenheim Group listing.
It was one of the most awkward yet fascinating scenes in reality TV history. Johnny was looking for a house in L.A., and who better to help him than his ex-wife? But this wasn't just a business transaction. They had a heart-to-heart on a balcony overlooking the hills.
Johnny actually apologized.
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He admitted he was a "lost, depressed kid" during their marriage, living in nightclubs and, in his words, "doing a lot of stuff behind your back." Bre, in her signature blunt style, replied, "Oh, you spent a lot of time with someone else on their back."
It was a moment of closure that most divorced couples never get, especially on camera. Johnny looked humbled; Bre looked like a woman who had finally gotten the validation that the "hell" she went through wasn't all in her head.
Where They Stand Today
As of 2026, the Johnny Manziel and Bre Tiesi relationship is firmly in the rearview mirror, but the respect seems to have survived the wreckage. They aren't "getting back together," but they aren't enemies either.
- Bre Tiesi is focused on her career and her "open" relationship dynamic with Nick Cannon. She’s turned her past trauma into a hard-edged, no-nonsense professional persona that makes her one of the most successful agents in luxury real estate.
- Johnny Manziel has retired from football for good. He’s living in Scottsdale, Arizona, playing golf, and recently appeared on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. He seems to have accepted that his "Johnny Football" days are over and is trying to find peace in a slower life.
Lessons from a high-profile collapse
What can we actually learn from this?
First, you can't "save" someone who isn't ready to save themselves. Bre tried, but the weight of Johnny’s addiction and mental health struggles was too much for a marriage to carry.
Second, public apologies matter. Seeing Johnny own his mistakes years later didn't fix the marriage, but it clearly helped Bre close that chapter of her life.
If you're following their journey now, the best thing to do is look at how they've both rebranded. Bre isn't "the quarterback's wife" anymore—she's a brand. Johnny isn't the "future of the NFL"—he's a cautionary tale who’s finally telling his own story.
To get the full picture of their current lives, you should check out the latest episodes of Selling Sunset on Netflix to see that house-hunting interaction for yourself. It’s a masterclass in how to handle an ex with grace (and a little bit of shade).