Nikki Garcia Makes First Public Appearance Since Artem Chigvintsev’s Arrest

Season 25 “Dancing With the Stars” alum Nikki Garcia made an appearance in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday, September 2, 2024. The former WWE star was joined by Rob Riggle to host Netflix’s “Unfinished Beef.”

Garcia received a warm welcome from the watching crowd. “Thank you everyone, I’m so happy to be here!” she told the audience after being introduced by Riggle. At one point, she responded to the loud cheers, telling fans, “I love you too.”

Her pre-planned appearance comes just days after her husband, Artem Chigvintsev, was arrested in Napa County. Per the booking report obtained by Heavy, Chigvintsev was arrested on a felony charge of corporal injury to spouse on August 29, 2024. He posted $25,000 bail and was released from jail about an hour after his arrest, per a release report viewed by Heavy.

Heavy previously reached out to Chigvintsev for comment.

Nikki Garcia Was Not Wearing Her Wedding Ring at the Netflix Event

Garcia wore a red vest jumpsuit for the event. She completed her look with open-toe platform shoes and a pair of dark sunglasses. Notably absent from her overall look was her wedding ring.

This marks the second time that Garcia has been seen without her wedding ring since her husband’s arrest. On August 31, TMZ posted photos of the twin boarding an airplane in Oakland, California. Both of her hands were visible in the snaps and her wedding ring wasn’t anywhere to be found.

Fans reacted to Garcia’s overall look on X (formerly Twitter).

“Nikki Bella was all smiles and radiating positive energy during her appearance on Netflix today. You love to see it,” someone captioned a video clip of Garcia at the event.

“This makes me happy to see Nikki Bella out and doing well despite what has happened to her a couple of days ago,” another person commented on a video of Garcia hosting the Netflix event.

“Sun shine when the storm clears,” a third comment read.

Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev Celebrated Their 2-Year Wedding Anniversary Days Ago

Chigvintsev and Garcia tied the knot in 2022. They had celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary just days before the “Dancing With the Stars” pro was arrested.

Garcia posted a tribute to her husband on August 26, 2024, quoting “Can’t Help Falling in Love” — the song made famous by Elvis Presley. A cover of the song played over some special footage from the couple’s wedding day.

“This song is our love story. I’ll never forget where I was when I asked Jesus about Artem. Having a conversation with He & God. How my feelings felt too soon. It all felt too fast. And then this song came on. And that’s when I knew that I was falling in love with him and that it was all meant to be,” she wrote on Instagram.

In a 911 recording supplied by TMZ, a dispatcher says that the called — a male — requested emergency medical assistance after his wife “threw shoes” at him. A short while later, the man called back and canceled the need for medical.

Police went to Chigvintsev and Garcia’s home and took him into custody a short while later. Further details about what happened haven’t been released.

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Effie Orfanides has more than two decades of experience in entertainment journalism. She has been a contributor with Heavy since 2017 covering entertainment news. Effie is based in Tampa, Florida. More about Effie Orfanides