Earlier this week, pending charges against Dancing With The Stars personality Artem Chigvintsev were dropped, and Nikki Garcia’s twin sister Brie had something to say about it.
Editor’s note:
This article contains mentions of domestic violence, or may be otherwise triggering to survivors. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please visit thehotline.org to connect with confidential help. Assistance is available 24/7/365.
Brie and Nikki co-starred in the reality TV show Total Bellas, and wrestled together as “the Bella Twins.”
In late July, DWTS fans were shocked when Artem was arrested and booked on domestic violence charges; few details were made public at the time.
Perhaps due to the dearth of information, initial coverage focused on friends of Artem and Nikki talking to the media about their relationship dynamic.
Nikki filed for divorce in September, seeking full custody of their son, Matteo, and more friends spoke out.
Nikki and Artem met on DWTS, and this story unfolded almost in sync with a similar controversy involving vetting for another ABC show, The Bachelorette.
DWTS fans raised related questions with respect to ABC casting Artem, and his former partners talked about their experiences with him.
After all of that, the felony domestic violence charges against Artem were dropped on September 24.
Nikki’s Sister Brie Indirectly Addressed Artem’s Dropped Charges
On September 24 (Tuesday), the tone of coverage changed when police in Napa County issued a statement indicating pending charges against Artem Chigvintsev had been dropped.
Allison Haley, Napa County’s District Attorney (DA), issued a statement about the dropped charges, saying in part:
“While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence.
“We are required to prove any and every criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system.
“If the available evidence doesn’t rise to this level of proof, then we cannot ethically file charges.”
Haley added that the charges could be reopened if new information came to light, such as “other incidents or [if the DA] otherwise learns of facts or evidence not previously known.”
The following day, Artem provided a “lengthy statement” to People about the development, which began:
“I am incredibly relieved and grateful that the domestic violence charges against me have been dropped. This has been an extremely difficult time for me.
“I am thankful that the truth has prevailed. My focus has always been and will always be, our son Matteo. He is my world, and being his father is the greatest blessing in my life …”
That same day, Wednesday, Nikki’s sister Brie posted an Instagram Story.
Brie didn’t directly mention Artem, but the post appeared to be referencing the dropped charges:
Brie’s Story was set to “expire” after 24 hours and had no caption or context, but its text read:
“The truth always comes out in the end, no matter how hard anyone tries to hide it or stop it. Lies are just a temporary delay to the inevitable.”
A smaller caption at the bottom indicated the image came from the “Narcissistic Personality Disorder Mother Facebook Resource Page.”
Artem also issued a statement via social media, which was captured as a screenshot and shared on Reddit.
DWTS fan sentiment was mixed, but one user urged others to stop speculating, commenting:
“Yikes, the comments are not passing the vibe check.
“This means absolutely nothing and not only should we, as people who know nothing about the situation, not absolve him and start accusing Nikki of being the abuser (did the Amber Heard witch hunt prove nothing?), but we really shouldn’t be speaking on something, again, [that] we know absolutely nothing about.
“Best thing to do is not speculate and just let the family deal with this privately and hope justice prevails for the kid’s sake.”
Nikki’s reps declined comment, and she hasn’t addressed the dropped charges.