Chigvintsev, 42, was booked into Napa County Jail on the morning of Thursday, August 29, on a felony domestic violence charge, according to online jail records .
The circumstances surrounding Chigvintsev’s arrest are unclear. He has been on a trip to wine country with his wife, former WWE star Nikki Garcia (formerly Bella). She took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday, August 28, to post about a facial she’d received in downtown Napa, but it’s currently unknown whether she was involved in the incident that resulted in Chigvintsev’s arrest. Us Weekly has reached out to Chigvintsev and Garcia for comment.
Chigvintsev and Garcia, 40, tied the knot in 2022 and share son Matteo, 4. The couple both posted about their wedding anniversary just days prior to Chigvintsev’s arrest.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
“I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast,” Garcia wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, August 27, alongside footage from their wedding day. “And then this song [‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’] came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be. 🙏🏼✨.”
Chigvintsev, meanwhile, captioned his Instagram post, “Happy anniversary my love , can’t see my life without you. You are my everything ❤️.”
The couple previously spoke about the possibility of expanding their family during a May episode of Garcia’s podcast “The Nikki & Brie Show,” which she cohosts with sister Brie Garcia .
Artem Chigvintsev. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
“I would love to have baby No. 2. In a perfect world, I would love that,” Nikki said. “Is the world so perfect right now? No.”
When Chigvintsev asked Nikki what “the perfect world” would mean, she replied, “Being younger is probably the main thing.”
Nikki then explained that she wasn’t worried about “female stuff,” but about lacking the “energy” needed for two kids.
“I see how tired I am,” she said, noting that she and Brie’s wine company, Bonita Bonita, is like having a baby.
Nikki and Chigvintsev met when they were paired on season 25 of Dancing With the Stars in 2017. At the time, Nikki was still engaged to John Cena , and Cena, 47, even joked about Chigvintsev choreographing his and Nikki’s first dance at their wedding.
“As far as dancing, I think he’s probably gonna teach me my first dance,” Cena told E! News in November 2017. “So, hopefully I’ll be able to take those tips from him there.”
Nikki and Cena called off their engagement in May 2018 after six years together and nine months later, multiple sources confirmed to Us that Nikki had moved on with Chigvintsev.
Over the course of their relationship, Nikki has been honest about facing challenges with Chigvintsev. During a November 2021 episode of “The Bellas Podcast,” Nikki said that she and the dancer were “in a good spot” after a “rocky” period.
“[We] had to get back into therapy . You know, distance is really hard,” she said after explaining that she’d been away filming America’s Got Talent: Extreme while Chigvintsev performed on season 30 of DWTS . “Now we’re stronger than ever.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotlin e at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
