Nikki Garcia is back at work amid her husband Artem Chigvintsev’s legal troubles.
The TV personality, formally known as Nikki Bella, hosted the Netflix live competitive eating special Unfinished Beef alongside Rob Riggle on Monday, Sept. 2. The event was a hot dog eating contest between rivals Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi.
Garcia, 40, was seen in high spirits as she and Riggle, 54, hyped up the crowd for the event. The former WWE wrestler made her debut wearing a sleeveless red vest and matching tailored pants. She accessorized her look with red lipstick and platform shoes.
“Thank you everyone, I’m so happy to be here!” she smiled after Riggle’s passionate introduction. Before carrying on with the rest of the event, Garcia responded to fan cheers and told audience members, “I love you too.”
Her appearance comes days after Chigvintsev, 42, was arrested in Napa Valley, Calif. on a charge of corporal injury to a spouse on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 29. He was booked in the Napa County Jail and given a $25,000 bail before being released in less than an hour, according to documents obtained
Nikki Garcia attends Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 32nd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party.
Jerod Harris/Getty
A rep for Garcia told PEOPLE, “This is a private matter and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time.” She isn’t named in the documents, but the couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary on Tuesday, Aug. 26 and she was named in the 911 call about the incidentpublished by TMZ on Friday, Aug. 30.
Garcia was allegedly throwing shoes at Chigvintsev during the argument, per the dispatcher heard in the audio on TMZ.
(L-R) Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia attend the PUBG Mobile’s #FIGHT4THEAMAZON Event at Avalon Hollywood on December 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
In the clip of the call, a dispatcher says that the Russian-born dancer “initially came in as requesting medical, but now he is stating he got into an argument with his wife and his wife threw shoes at RP [reporting party].”
“There is a child on scene. Medical en route,” the dispatcher added, presumably referring to the couple’s 4-year-old son, Matteo.
“There’s an active 415 [disturbing the peace] in the background responsible,” the dispatcher continued, per TMZ.
Per the audio clip, Chigvintsev eventually called off a request for medical assistance. “RP is stating no medical is needed now,” the dispatcher said, also noting that the parties had separated.
Garcia posted about hosting Unfinished Beef Instagram on Friday, Aug. 23. “I am so pumped to be part of the ultimate hot dog-eating competition! 🌭👊🏼 This is going to be EPIC!!” she captioned a post featuring promotional photos of the special. “Tune in to watch Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef on September 2, LIVE on @netflix.”
Days before the event, on Saturday, Aug. 31, the WWE alum was seen for the first time out in public since the alleged incident, boarding a private plane in Oakland, Calif., per photos obtained by TMZ.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
