Scheana Shay Ex Husband Mike Shay: Marriage, Divorce And Life After Vanderpump Rules
If you searched “shay scheana ex husband,” you’re really asking one thing: who was Scheana Shay married to before Brock Davies, and what happened? Scheana’s ex-husband is Mike Shay (often called “Shay” on the show), and their relationship played out in a very public, very emotional way on Vanderpump Rules. Their story includes a longtime friendship, a televised wedding, serious struggles behind the scenes, and a divorce that became one of Scheana’s most defining chapters.
Quick Facts About Scheana Shay And Mike Shay
- Scheana Shay: Reality TV star and singer best known for Vanderpump Rules
- Mike Shay (Scheana Shay ex husband): Music producer/DJ who appeared on Vanderpump Rules
- How They Met: Knew each other since their teen years (longtime connection)
- Marriage: July 2014
- Separation Announced: November 2016
- Divorce Finalized: 2017
- Notable On-Show Topic: Their relationship challenges and Shay’s substance abuse struggles discussed publicly
- Where Scheana Is Now: Married to Brock Davies, raising their daughter
Who Is Mike Shay
Mike Shay is best known publicly as Scheana Shay’s first husband, but he also had his own identity on Vanderpump Rules as someone pursuing music. On the show, you saw him around Scheana’s friend group, at events, and later inside the marriage itself—when life stopped looking like a highlight reel.
He wasn’t framed as a classic “Bravo villain.” Instead, he came across as quieter and more reserved, which made their dynamic feel even more complicated when conflict surfaced. The more their relationship struggles became visible, the more Shay seemed to retreat, and Scheana seemed to work harder to hold everything together.
How Scheana And Shay’s Relationship Started
One of the reasons their relationship felt so significant to viewers is that it wasn’t presented as a random reality-TV romance. Scheana often talked about Shay as someone who had been in her life for a long time—someone who knew her before the cameras, before the fame, before the “good as gold” persona became a brand.
That history can make a relationship feel safer. When you’ve known someone since you were young, it’s easy to believe they’re your person because they’ve already seen so much of you. It can feel like fate. And for a while, that’s exactly how it looked: Scheana finally getting her fairytale with a guy who wasn’t new—he was familiar.
The Wedding That Became A Huge Vanderpump Rules Moment
Scheana and Shay’s wedding was a major storyline, and it helped cement Scheana as one of the central faces of the show. The wedding wasn’t just about romance—it was about identity. Scheana wanted a big moment, a big celebration, and a big “I made it” milestone.
From the outside, it looked like everything she wanted: a committed partner, a public celebration, and a life that felt like it was moving forward on schedule. But reality TV has a way of showing the pressure points, and over time, viewers started seeing cracks that a wedding doesn’t magically fix.
What Their Marriage Looked Like After The Cameras Caught Up
Once the wedding glow faded, their marriage began to show a mismatch in energy, expectations, and communication. Scheana is naturally forward-facing—she likes to talk things through, plan, manage, and keep the relationship “moving.” Shay often came across as someone who kept more inside, which can be fine in normal life, but gets messy under constant filming and public scrutiny.
When couples struggle privately, they can control who knows what. When couples struggle publicly, every disagreement becomes a storyline, every awkward moment becomes a clip, and every rumor feels like a potential headline. That pressure can turn ordinary issues into relationship-ending ones.
The Substance Abuse Struggles And Why It Changed Everything
One of the most serious parts of their story involved Shay’s substance abuse issues, which were discussed openly on the show. That’s not a small thing. Addiction can change the emotional reality of a relationship—trust, stability, and safety start to feel unpredictable.
From a relationship standpoint, this usually triggers a brutal cycle:
- The supportive phase: One partner tries to help, manage, or “fix” the situation.
- The exhaustion phase: The constant stress starts to wear down empathy and patience.
- The trust fracture: Secrecy, relapse, or dishonesty can create deep resentment.
- The identity crisis: The relationship starts to revolve around the problem instead of the partnership.
For Scheana and Shay, the public nature of it made everything louder. Viewers had opinions. Friends took sides. And the marriage began to feel less like a team and more like a tug-of-war between what Scheana wanted the relationship to be and what it actually was.
Why Scheana And Mike Shay Divorced
Scheana announced their separation in November 2016, and the divorce was finalized in 2017. While no outside observer can fully know everything that happened inside a marriage, the storyline that played out publicly centered around trust, intimacy, and the ongoing strain of Shay’s personal struggles.
In situations like this, it’s rarely one single “final straw.” It’s usually the accumulation of months or years of disappointment, emotional distance, and the feeling that you’re not building the same future anymore. Scheana often spoke about wanting a marriage that felt alive—where you’re still choosing each other daily, not just surviving side by side.
By the time the divorce happened, it felt less like a shock and more like the unavoidable end of a relationship that couldn’t return to what it once was.
Did Scheana Keep Shay’s Last Name
Yes—Scheana continued using “Shay” publicly after the divorce, which is something people still ask about. For reality stars, a last name isn’t only personal; it can become professional. By the time the marriage ended, “Scheana Shay” was already a recognizable name tied to her TV career, music, and public identity.
Changing it would have meant rebranding in the middle of a very public transition. And in entertainment, consistency matters. The name was part of the package—whether the marriage lasted or not.
What Happened To Mike Shay After The Divorce
After the divorce, Mike Shay kept a lower profile compared to Scheana, who remained a central figure in the Bravo universe. However, he has continued pursuing music and has been publicly connected to DJ work and appearances tied to entertainment events.
It’s also worth remembering that not everyone who appears on reality TV wants to stay in the spotlight forever. Some people step back because the attention is overwhelming, because the narrative feels out of their control, or because it’s easier to rebuild your life when you’re not doing it in front of an audience.
If you’re looking for a simple summary: Scheana kept growing publicly, while Shay largely moved more quietly—still working, still living life, just with far less constant visibility.
How Scheana Talked About Shay After Everything Ended
One thing that makes their story feel less “trash TV” and more human is that Scheana has often described the split as not purely hateful. Even when she was hurt, she still acknowledged the history they shared and the fact that he had been part of her life long before reality fame.
That’s what makes divorce so emotionally confusing sometimes. You can know it’s the right decision and still grieve the version of the relationship you thought you were getting. With Scheana and Shay, the fairytale element made the grief louder. The wedding was so public that the ending felt like a public undoing, too.
How The Divorce Changed Scheana’s Next Relationships
When someone goes through a marriage that includes trust issues and instability, it usually changes what they look for next. You tend to crave emotional safety, consistent effort, and clearer communication. Whether you love Scheana’s choices or side-eye them, it’s easy to understand why she would want a relationship that felt more solid the second time around.
Her later relationship and marriage to Brock Davies became its own storyline, but the Shay era remains important because it shaped her on-screen identity: Scheana as someone who wants love badly, who sells the dream, and who learns the hard way that commitment doesn’t guarantee compatibility.
Why People Still Search Scheana Shay Ex Husband Years Later
People still look up Scheana Shay’s ex husband because their relationship was one of the most memorable “real” marriages in the Vanderpump Rules universe. It wasn’t just dating drama. It was a legal commitment, a shared home, shared friends, and shared pain—broadcast to millions.
And honestly, the story sticks because it’s relatable in a messy way. A lot of people have loved someone they grew up with. A lot of people have tried to hold a relationship together through someone else’s struggles. A lot of people have stayed longer than they should because the history feels too heavy to drop.
Bottom Line
So, if you’re asking “shay scheana ex husband,” the answer is Mike Shay. Their marriage began with longtime history and a televised wedding in 2014, but it ended after serious challenges, a separation announced in 2016, and a finalized divorce in 2017. Scheana moved forward into a new chapter, while Shay largely stayed out of the spotlight, continuing his life and music work in a quieter way.
Featured image source: https://people.com/scheana-shay-dishes-on-her-best-hookup-teases-more-about-two-actors-from-the-notebook-11785364
