Featured Image Credit: Bravo
Topics: Bravo, Entertainment, The Valley
Marissa Dow
When it comes to holding the crown for the most chaotic friend group, the only group giving The Mormon Wives a run for their money is the arrested development adults on The Valley. If you thought season 1 was a rollercoaster, then, baby, let me tell you: season 2 is a rocket ship straight to outer space because these crazy kids (with kids) are baring it all.
Just a few episodes into their sophomore return, it becomes evident that Danny Booko is a bit of a problem. At least, that’s the case if you ask Jasmine, her girlfriend Melissa, Brittany, Jason, Janet, Michelle and Jesse (agreeing on something!!), so, like the majority of the cast. On the other hand, his saint of a wife, Nia, and Kristen and her man, Luke, want to give the guy a little grace for getting a little too loose from time to time, including the cast trip to Santa Barbara. Now, the Bravo fandom is sorely divided about Nia and Danny Booko’s drinking allegations, plus the whole Danny/Jasmine “daddy” drama.
Image Credit: BravoDanny Nia the valley
On season 2, episodes 5 and 6 of The Valley, Danny’s drinking becomes the center of attention. While the group is wine tasting, Danny drives in later, coming from a voice actor gig in L.A., and seemingly plays a little catch-up. After leaving the vineyard, Janet said when she was alone in their Airbnb’s pantry, Danny walked in, “closed the door,” and “took a swig of a Casamigos bottle, and he passed out shortly after.” When Andy Cohen later asked Janet on WWHL if she thought the incident was abnormal behavior from normal recreational drinking, Janet shrugged, “It was a warm bottle of tequila.”
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At dinner, when the group asked where Danny was, Nia said he was “sleeping” because he was “exhausted” from work. This sent Brittany, Jasmine, and others into a tizzy for what they saw as a “pageant queen” response from Nia since she didn’t acknowledge that Danny passed out after drinking.
In a confessional discussing the situation, Janet said, “I’ve been with somebody in the past who struggled with addiction issues,” which made Janet feel like she could “relate to Nia in that sense.” Janet went on to lecture that Nia’s approach of “hiding it” instead of saying what’s really going on with Danny “begs more questions,” seemingly implying Nia could be hiding a “similar” relationship impacted by addiction with Danny.
After the girls’ post-dinner blow-up in SB, Janet tells Brittany and the other girls sitting around a bed that she wants to be there for Nia if Danny is struggling with a problem because “that’s not fun or easy.” When all of the girls meet up with Nia to clear the air following the tense night, Janet relays her addiction experience to Nia, who takes great offense to the “really big statement” she feels Janet is making, as does Kristen. Worst apology ever? Yeah, I have to agree with Nia there.
In her confessional, Nia agrees that she and Danny “don’t air their dirty laundry” in front of the group just because “they’re on a TV show.” She admits they’re “human” and “not perfect,” but when they do have issues, they tackle them head-on — privately. Before the drinking drama became the main storyline, Jesse and Jason had also commented on Danny’s drinking. Jesse said Danny doesn’t go out and party often because “he has three young kids,” but when he does drink, “he goes out, and he goes hard,” so much so that “he can’t control his drinking.”
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“The only problem is he goes hard, and then he makes poor decisions when he’s in that state,” Jesse elaborated.
In an episode preview for episode 6, Janet’s confessional also included (a now-deleted clip) where Janet shared that she had heard that “Nia has been in Al-Anon for this issue,” adding that it’s “great” if she’s going to that support group, which Janet had also participated in. ICYMI, Al-Anon, the group of “people, just like you, who are worried about someone with a drinking problem,” is anonymous, so naturally, fans were not thrilled that Janet shared this alleged info without Nia’s consent.
Image Credit: BravoNia The Valley
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Jasmine told the cameras that Danny touched her and her girlfriend inappropriately, disrespecting her committed relationship with her partner, Melissa. “Halloween, last year we were all at Jax’s bar, and he had too much to drink, and he grabbed my thigh and grabbed Melissa’s ass too,” Jasmine said in her confessional. Jason confirmed the situation during season 2, explaining that Danny said, “Go get daddy a drink,” while he touched her. Yikes! This was especially hurtful to Melissa as a queer woman who often experiences straight men disrespecting the seriousness of her relationship.
Danny apologized to both Jasmine and Melissa on the show (in episode 3), saying the incident was “weird” and “completely out of [his] character.” Jasmine accepted his apology, though she later admitted after girls’ dinner that she’d realized she might not be over it since she believed her friends weren’t reacting as strongly as they would if one of the other wives, married to one of the men, were harassed. After some prodding from Jason, Danny sat down with Melissa and Jasmine again to apologize, this time allowing Jasmine to speak about why the situation really upset her.
Discussing the mess on The After Show, Danny owned up to the fact that he “blacked out” when he put his hands on his friend without her permission. “I didn’t know what had happened when I was there. I had reached out to everyone involved and apologized.” Double yikes!