Selling Sunset: Amanza Opens Up On Struggles Amid Ex’s ‘Disappearance’

Star of Selling Sunset Amanza Smith is giving an update on her missing ex-husband, Ralph Brown. In a court filing for full custody of her children, the TV personality provided extensive insight into her years-long ordeal. She also revealed just how difficult the former NFL player’s disappearance has been on their family.

Viewers of the Netflix hit were shocked to learn about the realtor’s horrible predicament. Amanza, who joined the cast in season 2, married Ralph in 2010. The pair share two children, Noah and Braker. After they divorced, the beauty went on to date actor/Selling Sunset celeb client Taye Diggs for a few years before splitting in 2018. Roughly a year later, she found herself caring for her kids alone. Her reality TV fame definitely put more of a spotlight on the situation. Now, via court documents to file for full custody, even more information on his disappearance – and potential insight as to his whereabouts – has come out.

Amanza filed the petition on June 29, and Us Weekly obtained it on July 14. She claimed Ralph “has not made a single payment of child support” in more than five years. The single mom wrote, “On September 1, 2019, Ralph sent me an email entitled ‘No Roof for Kids’ wherein he told me that he did not have the stability nor finances to keep the kids. He dropped the kids off with me, and he has never attempted to see them again.” This was reportedly right after Amanza started filming Selling Sunset. Amanza continued, “It has now been almost another two years since then, and I have never seen nor heard from Ralph.” She does, however, have a potential update. “I have made several efforts to have him located, and do believe I may have a good idea as to where he is (although I have no confirmed factual knowledge),” she explained.

While that is somewhat encouraging, Amanza still has “no way to contact” him. This only makes things worse for their two kids. “He criticizes me for not having our children in therapy, but on the occasions I have tried, I have been refused because I can’t get permission from their father,” she explained. Previously, she said Ralph was a “hands-on, dedicated, interactive father” before he left. In the filing, she claimed a private investigator spotted her ex with an unidentified woman. “I was told that…he looked fine,” the Netflix star wrote. “That hit me so hard emotionally, going from fear and concern to the realization that he was likely OK, but just didn’t care about our kids, that I went into a depression and could hardly get out of bed for three days.” She continued, “Going through this process requires me to connect emotionally to pain I suppress on a daily basis.” 

Amanza expressed that this has “not been easy…financially or emotionally.” Reflecting on the toll Ralph’s abandonment has taken, she wrote, “What Ralph doesn’t understand is that regardless of how bad things get for me, I have to function or the kids don’t have anyone to care for them and ensure they are OK…I hide much of my emotional distress behind a smile, a joke and a laugh.” Viewers saw some of this in her sweet interactions with Noah and Braker on the show. But while Amanza is doing her best to keep her family happy, her ex’s disappearance is obviously having a profound effect on her well-being.

Source: Us Weekly