How did Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause's late parents become a topic in her feud with Nicole Young?

Selling Sunset is back with season 9, with intense drama and more aggressive conflicts between The Oppenheim Group members.

In Episode 2 of the real estate-based Netflix series, which premiered on October 29, 2025, the tensions escalated during Amanza Smith's Galsgiving dinner attended by almost all the Selling Sunset members.

Nicole accused another co-star, Emma Hernan, of having an affair with a married man in the first episode of Selling Sunset. Chrishell then accused Nicole of being on drugs during the Thanksgiving dinner in episode two of Selling Sunset. 

However, drama peaked when Nicole Young made a hurtful remark towards Chrishell Stause's late parents, directly claiming that they died due to drug abuse, as she says:

Honey, you’re confusing me with your parents, okay? You seem to be obsessed with drugs.

However, Chrishell's parents, though they struggled with drug addiction, died due to lung cancer. Responding to Nicole's comments, Chrishell said that,

First of all, yes, my parents have done drugs they grew up in the f****** seventies okay?

The way she brought [up] that my parents had done drugs before, made it sound like they died from drugs, she added.

How did Chrishell Stause's parents die? Their death, which became a topic of discussion in Selling Sunset season 9, explored

Both the parents of Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause died due to lung cancer, with a one-year gap between their deaths.

Her adoptive father, Jeff Stause, tragically passed away in April 2019 after a battle with lung cancer, and her mother, Ranae, surrendered as well to the fatal disease in July 2020. The 44-year-old actress has previously revealed that they struggled with drug addiction.

The reality star, who was adopted at birth, opened up on her father's death on April 21, 2019, roughly a year earlier than her mother, sharing her grief as she wrote a long note:

We lost you today, but it was a long terrible battle with cancer that started taking you years ago. I choose to remember you the way you were before it took its hold on you. You are at peace now, and ever the Catholic man at heart, I think you chose Easter for a reason. I grew up in an unconventional family and my dad was a drummer-the heartbeat of the music. Today we lost the heartbeat of our family but I am happy knowing he took his music to heaven. It just got a lot more rock and roll up there. We love you so much.

Talking about her mother's death, Chrishell penned a long note on July 19, 2020, on Instagram, posting a series of pictures of her with her mother, saying:

In disbelief that you are gone. Feeling just about every emotion, but I find comfort knowing Dad is up there taking care of you and showing you the ropes like only he could. Absolutely heartbreaking watching you take your last labored breath, but there is peace knowing you two are together again, free from the pain that plagued your time here. A free spirit and rebel till the very end.

Stause reflected on how difficult the year 2020 had been for her in Selling Sunset season 4. Chrishell shared in the first episode that 2020 has been the year of amazing highs and incredible lows as she went through a divorce and lost both her parents, followed by her appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

Stause paid a tribute to her parents with an emotional contemporary performance in one of the episodes on Dancing with the Stars. 

Chrishell used the performance to create awareness of cancer and Stand Up To Cancer, an organization working to defeat cancer.

Stay tuned for more updates.