Before the Hulu cameras started rolling and #MomTok became a household name, Demi Engemann lived a life that looked a lot like the one she has now—but with a different man by her side. You’ve seen her on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, sharp-tongued and fiercely protective of her marriage to Bret Engemann. But the history of demi engemann first marriage is actually where the drama really started. It’s a story of early love, postpartum struggles, and a very strange "small town" connection that ultimately led to her current life.
Who Was Demi Engemann’s First Husband?
Demi’s first husband was Blake Corbin. They got married back in 2015. At the time, Demi was only 21 years old. In the world of Utah and the LDS culture they were part of, marrying young isn’t exactly a shocker. It’s basically the standard. They were the "it" couple in their circle for a while.
Blake wasn’t some mystery man. He and Demi were building a life together in Provo, and for a few years, it seemed to be going according to the plan. They had a daughter together, Maude, who was born on July 11, 2017. If you follow Demi now, you know Maude is the center of her world. But while the Instagram photos looked perfect, things were unraveling behind the scenes almost immediately after the baby arrived.
Why Did the Marriage End?
Demi hasn't been shy about why things fell apart. She’s been pretty vocal on TikTok and in interviews about the heavy toll of postpartum depression and anxiety.
Honestly, it sounds like it was brutal.
She described the period after Maude’s birth as a time where she and Blake just started "going their separate ways" emotionally. The pressure of being a new mom combined with serious mental health struggles created a wedge that they couldn't seem to close. By the spring of 2020, while the rest of the world was locking down for COVID, Demi and Blake were quietly separating. Blake moved out, and the "perfect" marriage was officially over.
The Weirdest Part: The Gym Connection
Here is where the story gets kinda wild. In a series of "storytime" TikToks, Demi revealed that Blake actually knew Bret Engemann—Demi’s current husband—before she did.
They weren't best friends, but they ran into each other at the gym. They’d talk business. At one point, when Demi and Blake were still together but clearly struggling, they both ran into Bret. Get this: Demi and her first husband, Blake, were the ones who convinced Bret to apply for The Bachelorette.
- They saw him at the gym.
- They thought he’d be perfect for TV.
- They literally submitted his application for him that same night.
It’s almost like Blake unknowingly helped cast the man who would eventually become his successor. Life is weird.
The Divorce Timeline and the "Cheating" Scandal
The timeline of demi engemann first marriage ending and her second marriage beginning is what gets the internet talking the most. Blake filed for divorce in June 2020. It wasn't actually finalized until March 2021.
During that "in-between" period, Demi started leaning on Bret for support. He had been through divorces (plural) himself and knew the landscape. They kept it casual at first because, as Demi says, she wanted to respect her ex-husband while the paperwork was still being processed.
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But then, TMZ happened.
While they were out on an early date, paparazzi caught them. Because Bret was technically supposed to be a contestant on Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette (which had been delayed by the pandemic), the media went into a frenzy. People thought Bret was cheating on the Bachelorette, and people thought Demi was cheating on Blake.
"I was being labeled as a cheater," Demi shared. She had to navigate a public PR nightmare before her own family even fully understood that her marriage to Blake was over.
The Settlement: What Most People Get Wrong
People love to dig into the finances. Recently, court details leaked on Reddit and social media about the divorce settlement between Demi and Blake. Some fans were shocked at the child support numbers, which seemed "low" for a reality star.
But let's look at the facts:
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- Blake reportedly paid a $50,000 one-time settlement right after the divorce.
- They agreed on 50/50 custody of Maude.
- At the time, they were just "regular" people, not Hulu stars.
The idea that she got "nothing" is a bit of a stretch. It was a standard Utah divorce for a couple in their mid-20s. Demi was already making her own income as an influencer (around $2,000 a month at the time, according to the documents), and they moved on relatively quickly.
Life After Blake
Demi married Bret on April 3, 2021—literally days after her divorce from Blake was finalized. If that gives you whiplash, you’re not alone. The transition was fast.
Today, Blake Corbin stays mostly out of the spotlight, which is a stark contrast to Demi and Bret’s high-drama life on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. He continues to co-parent Maude, but the "Golden Boy of Provo" image is long gone, replaced by the reality of a blended family that is constantly under the microscope.
Key Takeaways from the Demi Engemann Divorce:
- Mental Health Matters: Postpartum depression was the primary catalyst for the split.
- The Timeline is Tight: She moved from her first marriage to her second in less than a year.
- Small World: Her ex-husband was the one who helped introduce her current husband to the world of reality TV.
- Privacy is Hard: The TMZ leak forced Demi to go public with her separation before she was ready.
If you're following the drama on season 2, understanding the foundation of demi engemann first marriage helps make sense of why she's so defensive of her current relationship. She’s already been through the "perfect Mormon marriage" cycle once, and she clearly isn't interested in playing that part again.
Next Steps for Readers:
If you want to verify the timeline yourself, Demi's TikTok archive from February 2023 contains the multi-part "How I Met My Husband" series where she breaks down these events in her own words. For those interested in the legal side, public records in Utah County offer the specific filing dates for the 2020-2021 divorce proceedings.