Posted on 5/22/125 by Colin Vassallo
On the latest episode of SiriusXM’s The Nikki and Brie Show,
Nikki Garcia addresses rumors and headlines surrounding her
recent divorce settlement, child support, co-parenting and
domestic violence dispute with Artem Chigvintsev.
Nikki & Brie also discuss their recent Kids’ Choice Award
nomination, personal milestones and more.
Nikki Garcia on her recent divorce settlement, child
support, co-parenting & domestic violence incident with
Artem Chigvintsev (1:57-8:20)
Nikki Garcia: Obviously, TMZ put out, and then everyone else
has picked it up, and everyone’s had opinions about Artem
and I’s divorce settlement. It’s everywhere. It is mind
blowing to me that our government allows all this stuff to
be public, but that’s the way the world is, and it’s okay,
and we’re here. The divorce has nothing to do with what
happened, the incident, any of that. Divorce is divorce.
Divorce has to deal with the paper, the contract you signed
during marriage, the day of marriage, at the court before
marriage, whatever, so our settlement is what everyone saw.
Yes, I had to give him $200,000.
Brie Garcia: That’s what happens when you’re the
breadwinner.
Nikki Garcia: The breadwinner, and also, there’s a lot of
different things that happen to make that number. I got a
steal. I’m not going to lie, which is crazy to say and you
know, the one thing is, is our judge, we did private
mediation, said at the end of it, “This is the first time in
all the years I’ve done this, where a woman had to pay a
man,” and the judge said, “You should be so damn proud that
you built such an empire that someone wants a piece of it.
Now, let me tell you the learning lesson. If you ever get
married again, promise me you will make them sign a prenup,”
and I was like, “I promise.” They go, “Hard lesson to learn
today because of the money you’re gonna have to pay out, but
be damn proud of yourself,” and it was nice to hear that and
I was, even though it hurts because I broke my neck for that
money. That money, all that is my hard-earned money.
Brie Garcia: Can I just say a side note just on the prenup
thing? I told Nicole many times, he needs to sign it. He
needs to sign it. Please annul. Please annul. I don’t care.
Everyone knows I’m the bad guy and you believed in such a
fairy tale and you let it go because you loved him, so I
will say that, like, because people always try to make the
worst of evils and the villains and it’s just so crazy when,
you know, just coming from a sister point. A lot of you who
listen, you guys have best friends, sisters, family members
and, you know, there’s us who are the audience watching and
being like, “Do this, come on, please,” and the other one,
you know, they get people easily get lost in love, so it’s
kind of how, when I see all the comments and all that, I’m
like, “You don’t even know where this all actually stemmed
from. When you’re looking at the settlement.” It kills me.
Nikki Garcia: Well, here’s another kill rumor. They’re all
like, “Oh, so he got the money because she lost.” No, no,
no. Child support. If you are the breadwinner, if you make
more money, it is literally a state calculator. They put in
the incomes, and they go, “Boom, this one makes more money.
This is what you owe per month.” At any point, by the way,
tell Matteo’s 18, we’ll always have to go, we can always go
back to court or not and this is anyone’s relationship, and
you’ll have to do the calculators again and child support
changes ‘cause sometimes people start to do better, they do
worse and blah, blah, blah. It’s strictly having a kid in a
marriage. That’s all it is. So, everyone with all these
stories, winners, losers, this and that, like you just have
to educate yourself on things and that’s what I’ve realized
about the internet, and I try to give so much grace cause
I’m like, they haven’t been divorced or they haven’t been
married or they don’t have a friend who’s been through a
divorce. All of it is strictly divorce and believe me, I did
great in it because they wanted to settle. I was going to
trial.
Brie Garcia: They wanted to settle really bad.
Nikki Garcia: Well, okay, Brie. Remember when I said, can
keep this light and the one thing I will say, Artem and I
right now are in a great place. We are co-parenting so
amazing, and it makes Matteo’s life so amazing and I don’t
want it any other way. That’s why when all of this came up,
it sucks because things in Matteo’s world right now is so
great because Artem and I are so on the same page, and I
want that. Oh, also what was in there, yeah. I do pay for
everything, Matteo. I mean, that got released, and then when
they said we share, I’m like, “Wait, no, I pay for dance and
T-ball,” but look, I work my ass off because I want to give
my son the world. I want to give him the best tools for
education. I want to be able to provide the best health care
that I can for him. Those are the two top things that I will
pay whatever. I will work night shifts to add on to whatever
I have to do to make sure my son has the best. That’s what I
want to do in life. He’s my number one. I want him to have
good food. I want all those things, and so I work my ass off
for it and I want him to be in activities like dance and t-
ball and swim class, and so, yes. Pay for all that, you
know? And I work really, really hard. I work really hard
and, you know, the child support doesn’t bother me because I
want Matteo to make sure his life in the other house is
equal and that is the one thing too, everyone will bitch and
complain. “Oh my gosh, this isn’t about child support.” When
you’re in the courtroom, child support is so the child could
have an equal life in both homes. That’s where it comes
from, and so it is hard and you’re like, “Oh, it hurts,” but
it’s so maybe that other parent can get a better place for
rent, so then your child support goes to that, right?
Or they can eat the same organic food or so for me, it
doesn’t, I don’t even think twice about it because I’m like,
that is making sure Matteo is also 50/50. Half of his other
time is a good life, but where I have a hard time and I was
like, “I’m going to kill this shit,” is just how everyone’s
making it like I’m guilty. I lost. I was a liar. I haven’t
lied about one thing and I’m going to just make that clear.
I have not lied about one thing. The cops never asked me
for autographs or photographs. I have been so damn honest
from day one and that’s why when everyone says, “She’s
glowing, she’s so happy,” because I’ve lived in my truth.
You guys, I know how to take accountability. I know what
it’s like not to be perfect. I’m not a perfect person, but
if something like that, if it was opposite, I would have
taken accountability. I would’ve have said, “I fuck up. I
need help,” but that was not me that day.
Brie Garcia: It wasn’t.
Nikki Garcia: And so when I see people write all these
things because I’m a pro wrestler, that’s not fair and
because I’m a strong independent woman, that’s not fair.
Nikki Garcia on prenup regrets (10:43-11:44)
Nikki Garcia: I used to think when someone wanted me to sign
a prenup, I took it as, “Do they not love me as much?” and
now that I’ve experienced it and now learned and educated
myself on it, now I get it. I will never, if I ever marry,
which I doubt I will, but if I do, I’m not gonna be the
never say nevers, or never, I’ll be the never say never,
that yeah. Prenup no matter what. Doesn’t take my love away,
it’s just because of what I’ve been through. I’m not gonna
go through what I just went through.
Brie Garcia: Now we see what Goldie Hawn was onto.
Nikki Garcia: No. Honestly, it’s really, really hard and you
just realize there’s so much control you don’t have. You’re
sitting there in mediation and when you’ve built companies
and you’ve built an incredible savings and all these things,
401k, all of it, and a person wants a piece of everything
and you’re sitting there fighting for your hard work, it’s
hard, but I put myself in that position, but I just never
thought I’d be in that position.
The Nikki & Brie Show hosted by Nikki & Brie Garcia is
available anytime on the SiriusXM app. New episodes every
Monday and Thursday.