Nikki Garcia is warming up to the idea of a new relationship after her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev — but she has rules.
Garcia, 41, got real about her love life during an appearance on Kristin Cavallari’s Let’s Be Honest podcast tour on Thursday, March 13. When Cavallari, 38, asked the former WWE star if she’s “still open to love,” Garcia replied that she’s open to “love and not marriage,” according to People.
“Really? You’re never gonna get married again?” Cavallari asked to which Garcia replied, “Well, I think maybe, but I don’t wanna sign paperwork again.”
The Laguna Beach alum acknowledged that getting married is “so easy to do and so hard to get out of,” seemingly hinting at her divorce with Jay Cutler. (Cavallari and Cutler, 41, separated in 2020 after seven years of marriage. The exes share three kids: Camden, 12, Jaxon, 10, and Saylor, 9.)
Garcia agreed, explaining, “I mean, [it’s] so hard. At night, [I] think about it though. This is crazy, like, it was supposed to be an act of love and now I’m in prison.”
Despite the rocky end to her marriage, Garcia told Cavallari and the crowd, “I’m definitely open to love for sure.”
The Total Bellas alum revealed that she has not begun dating again just yet, teasing that she is “almost ready” to dabble in a new romance.
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Images
Nikki’s podcast tour appearance — which she did alongside twin sister Brie Garcia — came seven months after she and Chigvintsev, 42, made headlines regarding their relationship.
Us Weekly confirmed in August 2024 that Chigvintsev was arrested for domestic battery and booked on a felony domestic violence charge following an apparent altercation with Nikki in Napa, California. (The domestic violence charges were dropped in September 2024 after an investigation.)
One week later, they both filed for divorce with Nikki seeking full custody of their son, Matteo. Chigvintsev requested joint custody of their 4-year-old and both parties filed for restraining orders against each other.
Us confirmed in November 2024 that the estranged couple settled their divorce out of court. “Both parties decided to drop the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively coparent their son,” Nikki’s rep told Us in a statement at the time.
Nikki addressed her divorce for the first time the following month when she and Brie returned to their “The Nikki & Brie Show” podcast. “I’ve been heartbroken,” Nikki revealed in December 2024. “You dream of having this family and you have this incredible love, and it just goes the other way. You go from having a great love story to having a terrible one.”
Nikki exclusively told Us in January that she was slowly rebuilding her life as a single mom and she had no “regrets” about how she got there.
“I feel like things happen for a reason. I’m stronger today than I’ve ever been. And that’s not only for myself, but for Matteo,” she shared. “I feel like being a mother and wanting the best for my son and knowing I’ll do whatever it takes for him to have that makes you incredibly strong.”
In that same interview, Nikki exclusively told Us that while she can “definitely” see herself “falling in love again,” she was confident it wouldn’t be “anytime soon.”
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev started dating following her broken engagement to ex John Cena — but their romance ended in September 2024. Nearly seven months after Garcia, who once wrestled under the name Nikki Bella, and Cena split for good in July 2018, Us Weekly confirmed that she and the Dancing With the Stars […]
She noted that she could be open to a possible “commitment ceremony” down the line, but was adamant that she doesn’t “ever want to sign paperwork again.”
“I don’t want to be legally [bound],” Nikki continued. “We could talk about changing names way in the future if this person is my person. [But] no paperwork.”
Chigvintsev, for his part, explained in February that coparenting with his ex-wife was “doable” and he was “happy” with being a single dad.
When asked on the “Glamorous Grind” podcast whether he could be friends with Nikki, he replied, “I mean never, say never. But there’s definitely needed to be certain conversation and certain things, acknowledgement of certain things. Yeah, I believe everybody can end up being friends.”
