“The Family Chantel”
While news of Chantel and Pedro Jimeno’s imminent divorce may not have come as a surprise to many viewers of “The Family Chantel”, who witnessed their marriage break down in real-time, that hasn’t stopped news outlets from constantly reporting the story, and every development ever since.
The couple, who became public figures during their time on “90 Day Fiancé” before Chantel was granted her own reality show, have been on the way out for at least a year, with Pedro officially filing for divorce in late May 2022, a month after their initial separation. Since then, the former lovebirds have been busy posting cryptic messages about the situation on social media, but it appears that the divorce has yet to be finalized.
In happier times, Chantel and Pedro starred in “The Family Chantel” with their friends and family. With Chantel being mixed-race and Pedro hailing from the Dominican Republic, their intercultural marriage and the drama that came with it was the focus of the show for four seasons. The series, which premiered in July 2019, became popular for being the first “90 Day Fiancé” spin-off to focus on a single couple instead of large groups.
Chantel and Pedro met online and hit it off immediately, with Chantel flying over to the Dominican Republic to meet her boyfriend. The couple became engaged in secret, until Pedro could obtain his K-1 visa and travel to Chantel’s birthplace of Atlanta, Georgia. The main cast members of “The Family Chantel” were Chantel, her family – Karen, Thomas, Riverknight and Winter Everett – and Pedro’s mother and sister, Lydia Morel and Nicole Jimeno.
Naturally, almost all the storylines on “The Family Chantel” focused on Chantel’s life, and it’s not clear if Pedro was happy to be in her shadow. The model and TV personality, who was born in February 1991, has never had a good relationship with her in-laws either, which has been the cause of plenty of friction. The same can be said for Pedro, who was never quite welcomed into the Everett clan.
Even so, the pair exchanged vows in an intimate wedding ceremony in July 2019. Three years later, the husband-and-wife duo officially confirmed their separation and divorce proceedings shortly after the season four premiere of “The Family Chantel” aired. Although some netizens believed that the announcement was a publicity stunt to combat low viewing figures, months passed and there was no reconciliation between the now famous couple.
As Chantel is fond of sharing risqué photos on her Instagram feed, and her and Pedro have often gone months at a time without posting each other, there have been many rumors of marital woes pertaining the “90 Day Fiancé” alums in the past. However, it’s been said that the reality TV personalities don’t post or discuss each other on social media, unless they’re filming for the show.
Although Chantel and Pedro are still legally married, it’s clearer than ever that they don’t plan on getting back together – so much so that “The Family Chantel” has possibly been cancelled by TLC. If the show does return for a fifth season, the main storylines will certainly be the former couple’s complicated divorce proceedings, and how their respective families are reacting to the news.
If there is a season five, fans of the show are hoping to see less of Pedro. The social media influencer and licensed real estate agent is known for his ambition and cold personality. Despite Chantel having a full-time job, filming for the show, and taking on all the household responsibilities, he would often call her lazy, and seemingly tried to spend as little time with her as possible.
It’s interesting to note that the same day Pedro filed for divorce, both parties filed restraining orders against the other. Pedro sensationally claimed that Chantel was withdrawing large sums of money from their shared bank account, whereas Chantel accused her estranged husband of domestic abuse and infidelity. Days before the couple formally separated in late April 2022, Chantel moved $257,000 from her and Pedro’s joint account to an account she shares with her sister.
Over the years, Chantel has often complained about Pedro practically funding his mother and sister’s lifestyles in the Dominican Republic. Although Lidia is a lawyer, she claims not to earn much, and would often ask her son for money and gifts whenever he visited. Pedro has also made no secret of the fact that he pays their rent, which has always been a bone of contention in his marriage. It’s possible that Chantel took the six figures from their joint account to avoid any of it going towards Lidia or Nicole.
Another strain on their doomed marriage was the bad relationship between the Everetts and Jimenos. One memorable family trip ended with Lidia and Nicole fighting Chantel, Winter and Karen, to the point that glasses were thrown and people were almost injured. Pedro and Chantel each defended their family members, while criticizing their in-laws.
The infidelity rumors concerning Pedro have also been brewing for a long time. In a season four episode of “The Family Chantel”, the real estate agent was accused of engaging in an affair with co-worker Antonella Barrenechea. During an informal meeting with a lawyer present, Chantel mentioned how much time Pedro was spending with his female colleagues. Pedro denied being inappropriately involved with Antonella and accused his wife of not being supportive of his demanding job.
“90 Day Fiancé” star Pedro Jimeno has filed for divorce from Chantel Everett, claiming she stole $257K from him. https://t.co/l9UNzg4AA6
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 7, 2022
Most viewers of “The Family Chantel” have taken the Atlanta native’s side. With that said, the Everetts have a long history of alienating married-ins; when Chantel’s brother, Royal became engaged to his long-term girlfriend Angenette, the family practically descended into chaos. Chantel and Karen suspected that Angenette, who is Filipina, was only marrying Royal to obtain American citizenship, and gave her the cold shoulder from day one.
Following his sister’s footsteps, Royal met Angenette online, and soon caught a flight to meet in her home country, proposing during their very first face-to-face meeting. The nine-year age gap and Angenette’s foreign roots were cause of concern for Chantel and the rest of the Everetts, who spent most of season two ostracizing the newcomer and meddling during the wedding plans.
The season two finale of “The Family Chantel” saw Royal and Angenette officially become husband and wife. Soon afterwards, Angenette became pregnant and the lovebirds focused on building their own family unit while distancing themselves from the Everetts: so much so that Royal is barely on speaking terms with his mother and siblings to this day. The couple also refused to return for season three of the show, citing social media commentary and public scrutiny as the causes.
It remains to be seen whether there’ll be a fifth season of “The Family Chantel”, as none of the cast members have divulged any details. Nevertheless, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
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