Gina Kirschenheiter has made allegations of domestic abuse against her ex-husband Matt Kirschenheiter during both Season 14 and Season 15 of Real Housewives of Orange County.
Gina filed for divorce from Matt in 2018 after seven years of marriage.
While she was hesitant to reveal the reason for her divorce on the show, she eventually claimed that Matt had cheated on her.
They initially tried to move past it, but Gina said she decided to call it quits once she caught him cheating again on Valentine’s Day.
Their divorce was finalized in July 2020. Gina settled for $230,000 with no child or spousal support.
She is now with her serious boyfriend Travis Mullen and their blended family lives together.
Since their divorce, Gina has spoken about how well she and Matt are co-parenting and has even lifted the restraining order she had against him.
However, Gina has made it clear that she and Matt weren’t always in that place during their separation.
Gina’s abuse allegations
Gina claimed during the RHOC Season 14 reunion that Matt allegedly attacked her after a night out.
She said that they got back together and attempted to fix their marriage at the time. However, she claimed she hit her breaking point after a night out with Matt turned violent.
The Blast obtained documents alleging that he threw her on the couch and attempted to choke her, threatened to kill her, and hit her repeatedly. When she tried to run and get help from the neighbors, he is claimed to have dragged her back into the house and continued to attack her.
Their three children were in the house at the time.
“He just was like a different person,” Gina said during the reunion. “I was really scared. I ran out of the house, and I rang my neighbor’s doorbell, and I was banging on the door. And he dragged me back in the house.”
“A lot of the neighbors heard. They all called the police and then the cops came, they arrested him,” Gina continued. “It was scary. It was really scary.”
The documents also allege that this wasn’t the first instance of violence between the couple.
Gina’s domestic violence case against Matt
Matt was arrested the night that he allegedly attacked Gina.
During Season 15 of RHOC, she claimed that his temper has improved since taking anger management classes. However, she still intends to press charges against him.
While she knows it would hurt her kids to see their father go to jail, she said she knows that she has to hold him accountable for his actions.
“What’s going on, it’s heartbreaking, but I think it will be very beneficial for my children to see that I will stick up for myself and I’m not just gonna let Matt brush this off,” Gina added. “Somebody’s always swooping in to save him and I just really feel like he needs to know that I’m not that person anymore.”
Gina met with her lawyer on the show who encouraged her to give a victim impact statement. Even though she is scared to face him, she has agreed to give a statement to the court.
“I spent a lot of time just burying my feelings about a lot of things and it’s not right, so I decided to make a victim impact statement,” she said. “I at least want him to have to hear how I felt about that night because it is literally the most significant event that’s ever happened to me in my entire life.”
Matt has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.