The second season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht has been defined by what Jada Pinkett-Smith might call “entanglements.” There was the awkward throuple dynamic between Gary King, Sydney Zaruba, and Alli Dore, as well as (what appeared to be) the serious hookup between Dani Soares and Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux that saw the two still together in the final episode. Amidst the show airing, however, Soares announced she was pregnant, which led to a lot of speculation regarding who the father was. She, at one point, said it was “nobody's business,” but Soares finally broke her silence on her baby daughter, Lilly, and how she relates to Jean-Luc.
All the tea was spilled during the Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s final reunion special last night with Andy Cohen. When asked point-blank if Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux was the father of her baby, Dani Soares answered:
Well, let’s put it this way: This baby was made during this season while we had cameras 24/7 with us, and I only slept with one guy … [Jean-Luc] hasn't supported me at all in any way. He thinks it's not his child, and he doesn't want to have anything to do with it.
Dani Soares said at the reunion that she and Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux spent a few days together after filming wrapped for Below Deck Sailing Yacht, but then Jean-Luc returned home to America and Soares went back to Australia. Later on, when Soares told him she was pregnant, he “seemed supportive” at first but then became “not interested anymore” in December. Supposedly, Jean-Luc even texted her to “not go around telling people” that he was the father.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s Dani Soares stated that Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux wanted to get a paternity test done but that it hasn't happened yet. He wasn't at the reunion to give reasons why because he was apparently working on another boat. But he found time to Zoom with Andy Cohen only a few days later and confirmed the majority of Soares’ version of events. However, he also said he wants “to be part of that child's life every single day” – but only apparently if there is concrete proof that it is his baby. He would go on to address Soares directly, saying:
Though you may not want anything to do with me because of me asking for a paternity test, I understand that. That’s something that I can get over. But what I can’t get over is if this is my child, is not being there for her, to watch her grow up, to watch her learn how to eat, to watch her learn how to walk. I can’t get over that.
In the wake of the drama, Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux has received a lot of backlash online for seeming to avoid his responsibilities. On Instagram, along with a pic of himself as a baby, he revealed he found out about the birth of Soares’ baby on Instagram, that they couldn’t get the paternity test jointly yet because the Australian borders are still closed, and that he was addressing things on social media only to “set that record straight.” See his full post here:
But it seems Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux’s Below Deck Sailing Yacht co-stars were not having it. Series alum Sydney Zaruba said he should “get it off social.” Colin Macrae commented:
JL, why do you continue to lie through your teeth? Please keep this disgustingly desperate attempt to save face and blame Dani, off of social media. It’s pathetic. We in her circle have seen first hand how you have treated her for the last 9 months. So again, man the fuk up and do what’s right for this poor little girl, AND KEEP IT OFF SOCIAL MEDIA.
Dani Soares recently opened up to People that motherhood has proved rather difficult. She said she had trouble breastfeeding her baby daughter and that she only had work friends in Australia to help her out. As for her co-star and supposed father of her baby, Jean-Luc, it still isn’t clear if or when they might work things out. Soares said he needs to “do more than just talk.”
