Selling Sunset‘s Jason Oppenheim and Mary Fitzgerald are committed to coparenting their dog — even after his death.
“We are [still coparenting Niko’s ashes]. Jason just called me a few minutes ago letting me know how [our other dog] Zelda is doing,” Mary, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly before the newest season of the hit Netflix series started streaming on Friday, September 6.
Season 8 documented Jason, 47, and Mary, finding out that their 18-year-old dog, Niko, was diagnosed with terminal health issues and only had a few days or weeks left with them.
“Niko has been in my life for 18 years. I got him when he was a puppy,” Mary, who dated Jason before Selling Sunset debuted in 2019, recalled. “He has basically been my little rock. He has been there licking my tears when I am sad and celebrating all the joys and wins. I don’t really remember life without him.”
Jason referred to Niko as “the closest thing” he and Mary even had to “a son.” (The exes also share dog Zelda alongside with Mary’s husband, Romain Bonnet.)
“Romain is so supportive of it,” Mary added during her interview with Us. “And Jason is like his brother. So it’s amazing.”
After Niko’s death, the agents at the Oppenheim Group gathered for a memorial potluck. They brought food while showing support for Jason and Mary — who opened up about their unconventional grieving process.
“We put Niko’s ashes in the ink, then we tattooed our arms,” Jason revealed. Mary added, “Some people think it’s a little creepy, some people think it’s very cool. But it is meaningful to us and he is actually a part of us now. I think it is freaking cool.”
Jason pointed out that it didn’t stop there. “We are still coparenting the ashes so we go back and forth,” he noted.
In a confessional, Nicole Young referred to Jason and Mary’s decision to use Niko’s ashes for their tattoo as “a little concerning.” Nicole, 38, however, stood by Jason and Mary as they planned a chic dog funeral for Niko. Before the big event, Jason tried to make himself feel better by going on a shopping trip where he dropped $275,000 on a 2022 Ferrari Roma.
The episode wrapped up by documenting Niko’s funeral, which included a formal dress code, dog guests, a huge print out of Jason and Mary with their late pet, food from McDonalds to honor Niko’s last meal, several emotional eulogies — and naturally, a fight between Bre Tiesi and Emma Hernan about unrelated drama.
“[Niko] had a great 18 years. What the f—k, I can’t do this,” Jason said to the crowd before taking a moment to gather his emotions. “A lot of that was because of you guys and all of the fur babies that are here today. He lived a really loving and vibrant life. … I did the math this morning on how many times I’ve kissed Niko. It has been like 50,000 times.”
Jason continued: “After he passed, Mary and I came over right there and took our shoes off and our socks off. We were walking on the grass and I felt Niko beneath my feet. I felt him everywhere. I believe that Niko is all around us right now.”
Mary also celebrated Niko’s impact on her, saying, “He has been the best decision I’ve probably made besides my son. … He was the best dog and he changed my life.”
At the end of the memorial event, Jason and Mary took some of Niko’s ashes to leave under a tree in Mary’s backyard.
Circling back to the fight between Bre and Emma, the costars were discussing how rumors about Chelsea Lazkani‘s marriage were brought up on the show after Bre met with a friend who had tea about Jeff Lazkani allegedly cheating on Chelsea — and Chrishell Stause — came to check on Emma, which only upset Bre more.
“Get that f—king camera out of my face, I swear to God,” Bre told producers as she left Mary’s house after the argument.
Selling Sunset is currently streaming on Netflix.
