A former 'Neighbors' star, who is pregnant with her stepbrother's baby, has responded to critics their strange relationship. Scarlet Vas, who appeared briefly on the popular soap opera before quitting in 2018, spoke about her marriage to singer Tayo Ricci. The two first met as teenagers in Melbourne and later became step-siblings when their parents got together.
Despite their family connection, Vas and Ricci developed romantic feelings for each other, eventually tying the knot in Mykonos, Greece, in September last year. Vas, 29 is expecting her first child with Ricci—a baby girl. While the couple is eagerly preparing for her arrival, she has been facing backlash from some commenters.
Pregnant With Stepbrother's Baby
Despite being labeled "weird" and "gross" by some online critics, Vas said that they refuse to let the negativity affect them. "Honestly, it doesn't affect us because we have each other," she told news.com.au.
"I don't really read our comments section, but if I do, I actually laugh. We find trolls very entertaining.
"If something's really negative, we might comment back, we find it is quite a good disarming tactic."
The couple first gained viral attention in 2021 after sharing a video titled, "I fell in love with my bf's best friend... who happens to be my stepbrother."
The clip featured Vas and Ricci being dared to kiss while Vas' ex-boyfriend of seven years—allegedly Ricci's best friend—looked on. While Vas claims the video was just a "skit," she says that their relationship is entirely genuine.
"We've been together for 10 years and have just moved back to Australia after living in the US for the last five of those," she explained.
"We were about 13 years old when we first met through mutual friends, our families knew each other and they introduced us I guess you could say. So we've known each other for a very long time."
A stepfamily is defined as a "blend" created when two people unite and bring children from prior relationships into their new family.
Too Much in Love
Vas emphasized that she and Ricci are "absolutely not blood-related" but noted that they choose to keep the exact details of their family connection private to respect their parents.
When asked about their "stepsibling" status, Vas said they direct people to Ricci's song Strawberry on Ice, which he wrote about their love story and performed for her at their wedding.
The song includes lyrics like, "I just had belief in something, Don't tell me my vision was wrong, Coz you and me belong." However, as far as news.com.au can determine, it does not clearly explain which family members' union made them stepbrother and stepsister.
Despite this, the actress and musician have embraced their unique story, often sharing it across their social media platforms, where they have a combined following of over 35 million.
"We didn't set out to become influencers, it was never on our radar or ever something we ever wanted to do," she explained.
"When I finished up on Neighbors we moved to America so I could pursue acting, but then Covid hit which affected the industry,#mce_temp_url# and it was really difficult.
The unconventional couple has distinct personal brands, with Ricci focusing on sharing his music and Vas using her platform to create skits that showcase her acting skills.
Despite facing criticism, Vas—who also manages a highly successful OnlyFans account—shared that she is now settling back into life in Australia and is eagerly anticipating the arrival of their baby girl in just a few weeks.
