Why did Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim of 'Selling Sunset' break up?

The "Selling Sunset" cast has its fair share of disagreements, but nearly everyone in the cast can agree on one thing: Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim are a great couple — including Stause and Oppenheim.

“I’ve never been with a better woman or felt more happy and comfortable in a relationship,” Oppenheim said in season five.

Stause joined the Oppenheim Group as an agent in 2018, which Oppenheim owns with his twin brother, Brett. She and Oppenheim made their public debut as a couple via an Instagram post in 2021, around the time that season five of “Selling Sunset” was filmed.

Given their obvious connection, the couple is questioned by friends — and Oppenheim's mother – about their plans for marriage and children throughout season five. Ultimately, it's the answers to those questions that lead to their break-up, which is detailed in the finale.

The couple announced their breakup on Instagram in 2021

For those who have been following "Selling Sunset's" cast outside of the season, the end of Oppenheim and Stause's relationship — and their reasoning for the split — won't come as a surprise, as both spoke about about their split on Instagram.

The breakup came down to differing desires about starting a family. "We have different wants regarding a family," Oppenheim wrote on Instagram.

Stause, on her end, addressed both the break-up and her reason for candor in a now-deleted post: "Although my initial reaction to a private situation was to not speak on it, sometimes it’s just easier to live transparently because we only get one chance at this life ... I very much hope to one day have a family and decisions I make at this point are with that goal in mind.”

In the show, Chrishell talks about the 'pressure' of 'running out of time' to have kids

It’s one thing to read about the break-up in a post, and the other to see it play out in the series. On the show, Oppenheim and Stause slowly come to their decision.

Stause is open with her desire to have children. "I didn't have the most ideal childhood," Stause explained. She wrote candidly about growing up in poverty in Kentucky in her memoir.

"Now I'm in a situation where I know I could give a child an amazing life. I've tried to get the success that I have so that I could pour, not just my love, but my resources into making it feel like I'd be doing important work," she said.

Further, Stause, who turned 40 in 2021, feels "the pressure" of "running out of time" to have children.

Oppenheim is less certain about fatherhood

Oppenheim knows Stause would be an “exceptional mom," but struggles to see how fatherhood would fit into his life. He spends the season weighing his options.

The pros? He could pass on the family business. "I’d definitely consider how cool it would be to hand off the Oppenheim Group to someone in 20 years," Oppenheim said.

Oppenheim's parents are also encouraging. He said that his dad would "want a grandkid," and while meeting Chrishell for the first time as her son's girlfriend, Oppenheim's mom is also eager to ask about babies.

But speaking to Mary Fitzgerald and Amanza Smith, who are both mothers, Oppenheim voices his concerns, which mostly come down to the demands of running a business. "I'm overwhelmed with professional responsibility," Oppenheim said.

He says his "logical, decision-making mind" is taking over: "I wake up in the morning like, 'What would my morning look like with a baby? Who would I hire? Where would we live? How would we trael? How would I be able to manage my offices, agents, and transactions?"

They began the process of fertilizing eggs

Facing this divide, the couple begins the process of fertilizing eggs for IVF. Ahead of learning the results of her egg extraction, Stause poses Oppenheim with an ultimatum in the eighth episode.

She learned from a past relationship that she couldn't compromise on the topic of children.

"I tried to make it work when someone didn't want it. Through that process I realized I was lying to myself. Now that I'm in. situation where I got out of that, I was able to reassess and say wait, 'I have an say and what I want matters,' I'm really trying to be true to myself this time. This is one of those situations where I have to be honest with you. If you decide that you don't want to be a father, I don't think I can go forward with you," she said.

Ultimately, Oppenheim can't move forward with the process. “I get overwhelmed thinking about the idea of being a dad,” he told Smith and Fitzgerald. “And it scares me, because I know that if that’s my decision, I know I lose Chrishell.”

The breakup isn't shown on camera

The breakup isn't shown on camera — but the aftermath is. Stause, while crying, opens up to fellow agent Emma Hernan.

Stause connected the breakup back to Oppenheim's many years as a bachelor, which cast members echoed earlier on the season, saying he had never been able to settle down until he started dating Stause.

"Let's just be honest. He was a proud bachelor his whole life," Stause said. "I didn't (change him)." Hernan said she did change him: "He would spend the rest of his life with you."

Stause said the quality of their relationship makes the breakup harder. "That's what I think is hard. When it's locked, in, and I got it. I figured out the code to life. I'm so happy and I'm with someone that respects me ... it's everything I ever dreamed of," she said.

Chrishell is contemplating her next steps

In the wake up the breakup, Stause contemplates a career change. Namely, she she was deciding whether to leave the Oppenheim Group. "I don't know if we can keep working together anymore," she said. "I'm not holding this against him. I understand he genuinely thought, 'This is something I can do.'"

As of the writing of this article, she is still at the Oppenheim Group. Though they are no longer a couple, Stause told Andy Cohen during a February appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” that she doesn’t find it “awkward” to continue working with her ex.

Stause ends the season wanting to be a mom, but not sure how she will get there. “Maybe this isn’t my path. I’m 40. I don’t know what the future holds,” Stause told Hernan.