Selling Sunset producer and star Jason Oppenheim and his girlfriend Jessica Vargas have confirmed the amicable end of their year-long relationship, which concluded at the beginning of February. Contrary to speculation, the split was not driven by disagreements over having children, a topic that has previously influenced Oppenheim's romantic life.
Clarifying the Reasons Behind the Split
Two months prior to publicly acknowledging their separation to the Daily Mail, the 48-year-old president and founder of The Oppenheim Group addressed questions about potential parenthood on the Pretty Dirty podcast. When asked if children were in the plans, Oppenheim responded, "Correct, neither of us." His then-girlfriend, 39-year-old real estate agent Jessica Vargas, elaborated on their alignment, stating, "Yeah, that's another reason why we super connected. Because we would just see eye to eye on like all the things, you know? Like, 'I don't want kids. Oh, I want to do what I want.' We were back and forth."
Marriage Plans and Historical Perspectives
During the same podcast appearance, Oppenheim discussed marriage, revealing that it was "the plan" despite having previously told Vargas before they began dating that he did not intend to marry until reaching his 60s. He explained his reasoning by referencing historical life expectancy, noting, "You don't need 60 years with someone. And by the way, our life expectancy when you got married in your 20s, people got married at like 19. You know, I did get married 100 years ago. Well, but that was common 80, 100 years ago [when] life expectancy was probably like 55. The whole till death do us part. Now it's 60 years."
Maintaining Friendship Post-Breakup
Despite the end of their romantic involvement, Oppenheim and Vargas have emphasized their continued closeness and mutual respect. Last weekend, Oppenheim attended a wedding in Honolulu with Vargas, sharing on his Instagram story that they "still love each other and [are] still best friends." Vargas echoed this sentiment, adding, "Love you J & may this type of friendship find us all."
In a statement to People on Sunday, Oppenheim expressed, "having her in my life is what matters most," while Vargas gushed, "[We] have a lot of love for each other, and that's not going anywhere. The best outcome for us is staying close. He's truly a gem of a human with the biggest heart, and I'm grateful for him." The couple, who maintained separate homes throughout their relationship, made their red carpet debut at the Hollywood premiere of The Accountant 2 on April 16 and went Instagram official five days later.
Past Relationships and Family Stances
Fans of Selling Sunset may recall Oppenheim's previous relationship with staffer Chrishell Stause, which ended in 2021 due to differing views on starting a family. Five years later, the 44-year-old actress and realtor has not yet become pregnant despite undergoing several rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) with her spouse, Australian rocker G Flip.
G Flip shared insights into their challenging journey with People last September, stating, "We're experiencing the real kind of sad and dark periods of this moment, where it's like, a little bit of good news, a lot of bad news, a little bit of hope, no hope. In the end, you've got to lean on each other and be there for each other, and come out of it still a unit and try not to let it break the relationship or break people individually." They added, "I really feel for anyone who's going through it, and I have friends going through it, and God, it's really sad. It's very grim."
Oppenheim's Professional and Personal Background
Jason Oppenheim, a UC Berkeley graduate and member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity, has built a significant career in real estate, boasting $3 billion in closed sales. He maintains offices in West Hollywood, Newport Beach, San Diego, and Cabo San Lucas. His romantic history includes relationships with staffers Nicole Young in the early 2010s and Mary Fitzgerald Bonnet from 2014 to 2015, as well as model Marie-Lou Nurk from 2022 to 2023.
It has been clarified by Oppenheim's representative that Jessica Vargas is an "independent contractor" for his company and has never appeared on Selling Sunset. The hit Netflix show, created by Adam DiVello, began with Selling Sunset and has since expanded to include spin-offs such as Selling the OC, Selling the City, and Selling Tampa.
As recent as January 9, Oppenheim publicly celebrated "365 days since our first kiss" with Vargas and expressed intentions to "keep going," highlighting the unexpected nature of their subsequent split. The couple's ability to transition from romantic partners to close friends underscores their unique bond and mutual respect, setting an example of amicable separation in the public eye.
