Why Did Mike Shouhed Admit to Cheating on Jessica Parido?

Sunday night's episode of Shahs of Sunset was an especially tough one for Mike Shouhed as he came clean to castmate Reza Farahan about cheating on his estranged wife Jessica Parido.

So what made Mike finally open up to his longtime pal after a season of keeping this indiscretion to himself? "I wasn't lying. I was having marital problems. It was between me and my wife, and I was trying to keep it under wraps, but being on reality TV, you don't really have that freedom," Mike explained to Andy Cohen during Sunday night's Watch What Happens Live. "Me and my wife were having problems. I don't want the world to know, so I'm labeled a liar. I decided it's time for me to come clean because [there was] so much speculation." 

Some of that "speculation" included false rumors that Jessica had wanted to end the marriage earlier and that she left him because he's gay, according to Mike. The couple announced that they would be divorcing in November 2015.

Mike also set the record straight on his extramarital affair. "It was one affair before I'd even gotten engaged to Jessica, but it's something she found out about after we got married," he said. 

Ultimately, Mike showed remorse for cheating on Jessica and his attempt to cover it up. "I regret what I did," he told one caller on WWHL. "The aftermath was me trying to protect my relationship with Jessica so people don't pass judgment on either one of us."

Mike’s Cheating & Reza’s Meddling

He went on to say that Reza getting involved in his marital issues was problematic. "It did, because anytime an outsider gets involved in a relationship, it's not warranted, A, even if you're a friend and trying to fix it, you'll probably screw it up," he said. 

But Mike said that didn't cause conflict between himself and Reza. "No, because when I tried to [have words with him] he was like, 'Look, I love you and I'm trying to help you and I wanted to be your brother and talk to her from a different perspective,'" he explained. 

Mike also elaborated on his decision to open up about his cheating during the Shahs of Sunset After Show, which you can check out, below.

After Show: Mike on Why He Finally Admitted to Cheating

Watch the full episode of Shahs of Sunset here or on the BravoNow app, available on iOS, Roku, and Apple TV.