Danny Booko has apologized to his wife, Nia Sanchez, after viewers slammed his behavior toward her during Season 3 of The Valley—behavior his wife said isn’t representative of their relationship off-camera.
Danny Booko didn’t wait for the reunion to address the backlash. On Wednesday, the 42-year-old The Valley star went to Instagram Stories and apologized to his wife, Nia Sanchez, after viewers reacted with disgust to how he acted toward her this season.
The complaints center on Season 3, when Nia was roughly seven weeks postpartum. During a cast trip to San Diego, Nia—trying to eat a sandwich—asked Danny to hold their baby. Instead of jumping in, he became “very annoyed” about having to hold his own child for a few minutes.
That moment wasn’t treated as a one-off by fans. Danny also continued to act frustrated when Nia asked for more help with the baby during the vacation. The season later shows him yelling. belittling. and criticizing Nia for not doing enough to support him during a drag competition—despite the fact that. before he even got ready. Nia had taken care of their child and put them to sleep without his help.
Even Lala Kent stepped in during the season’s fallout. She said she felt “triggered” by Danny’s “aggressive” and “disrespectful” behavior toward Nia and added that she wouldn’t want to imagine how he speaks to her behind closed doors if this is how he comes across on camera.
The backlash also collided with another recurring concern from viewers: Danny’s drinking. The season includes an argument that continued “that night” despite him being inebriated, according to the story fans have been reacting to online.
In his apology posted on Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Danny addressed Nia directly. “To the person I love most, my beautiful wife, I am so sorry,” he wrote. “Watching these last few episodes back hasn’t been easy.”
He said the season showed “a version” of himself he’s “embarrassed by and not proud of. ” pointing to “a short fuse. stress. alcohol and lack of sleep. ” while also calling it “never a good combination.” He insisted. “but that’s not an excuse. ” and added: “I should never have taken any of it out on you.”.
Danny continued by writing about parenthood and what he said he saw when he watched himself back. “Balancing parenthood and life can stretch you in ways you don’t fully realize until you see yourself through a different lens. ” he wrote. “I love, honor, and respect you deeply, and I did not show that in some of these moments.”.
He ended with: “Nia, I love you so much. I’m grateful for you, our family, and this beautiful, chaotic life we’ve built together. I thank God for you every day.”
Hours before Danny was set to appear on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen—alongside Luke Broderick—he backed out at the last minute. Andy Cohen said Danny wasn’t canceling to avoid the backlash. “booked a job and had to cancel to work. ” Andy said. and he added. “I believe him because if he canceled because he was scared to come here. we would have heard from our publicist that he’s not up for it.”.
Andy also made it clear Danny will still have to face the controversy later. He said Danny will attend the reunion, so he’ll still have to “deal” with what’s been happening on the show.
Still, the defense of the couple’s on-screen conflict didn’t end with Danny’s apology. Danny and Nia both explained their fight during the After Show on Wednesday. Danny insisted their heated moment had nothing to do with having their daughter, saying: “This is number four. You think I haven’t done this three other times?. I know exactly how to support my wife.”.
Nia, for her part, pushed back on the idea that what viewers saw defines their relationship off-camera. She said. “One thing with me and Daniel. in our relationship in general. yes. we have tense moments; yes. we can be short with each other.” She added that sometimes things are good and sometimes they’re not. but what audiences are seeing is a slice of difficult moments. “And what people will see through this window of time is. there were so many tense moments. and we were short with each other and had short fuses a lot. ” she said. “That doesn’t mean that we have a bad relationship. It just means that we were having hard moments.”.
Nia said they’ll keep working on it. “And we’ll keep working on it, because we’re in it for the long run. And we’ve been together for a long time. And we know that those moments don’t define our entire relationship.”
There’s now one thing viewers can’t ignore: Danny already apologized on camera-sized terms—while the explanations continue to play out. and the reunion still looms. Danny’s message to Nia emphasized love, respect, and accountability. The question for viewers is whether that apology matches the moments the season showed—and whether it changes what comes next.
Danny Booko Nia Sanchez The Valley apology backlash Instagram Stories Watch What Happens Live Andy Cohen Luke Broderick Lala Kent reunion