'Below Deck' Cast Reacts to Jean-Luc's Paternity Confirmation (2024)

Not that surprised. After months of speculation, Below Deck Sailing Yacht star Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux confirmed that he fathered Dani Soares' baby — but the duo's fellow cast members weren't shocked."I had no reaction to the news, as I always knew Jean-Luc was the father," Daisy Kelliher exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, January 20. "I knew all along."Earlier this week, Jean-Luc, 27, returned to Instagram after a seven-month hiatus to confirm the paternity of Dani's daughter, Lilly, who was born in May 2021. He previously claimed that he didn't know whether he was the father."A new year in 2022 begins with high ambitions and positivity,” he wrote on Wednesday, January 19. “My silence on social media has been intentional and much needed. I used that time to focus on what was important to me and my mental health.”The deckhand added that he couldn't let the year "go any further" without sharing some news about Dani's baby. “I’m happy and proud to say sweet and beautiful Lilly Rose is my daughter,” he wrote, adding that he took a DNA test to confirm his relation to the little one. "Dani and I have been working and communicating together to the best of our ability; given Dani is a full time mother and worker, and I being gone for extended periods of time not knowing when I will step back on land."The 33-year-old Brazil native, for her part, referenced Jean-Luc's announcement in a statement to Us, noting that "actions speak louder than words."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo6CkDa0CSQThe duo began a romance during season 2 of Sailing Yacht, which aired in 2021. The second stew surprised fans in April of that year when she announced that she was expecting her first child. At the time, she didn't identify the father, but Bravo viewers began to speculate that it was Jean-Luc.“I just don’t think that’s relevant for my situation, that’s all,” Dani told Us in May 2021, explaining why she decided not to name her child's father. “I understand that people are curious about it, and I understand that I’m on a TV show and everybody wants to know. I just don’t think it’s anybody’s business right now.”During the Sailing Yacht season 2 reunion, which aired in June 2021, Jean-Luc told Dani that he was willing to coparent with her, but he still wanted to take a DNA test.“I understand why she took it poorly because in her mind I might be the only person she’s ever been with,” he explained during the episode. “If that’s the case, I told her, I really do apologize, but for my peace of mind I just wanted to know.”Keep scrolling for more of the Below Deck Sailing Yacht cast's reaction to Jean-Luc's big reveal:[podcast_block]

"Frankly, I was more shocked that he actually said it publicly than I was [by] the actual news itself," Alli Dore exclusively told Us. "I feel like after all the back and forth that happened and all the things that were said about Dani, there should have been a public apology in there to her."

The third stew went on to say that she "wasn't shocked at all" by Jean-Luc's announcement because she always knew he was the father. "I speak to Dani nearly every day and I never doubted her word," she explained. "That’s why Colin [MacRae], Daisy, Natasha [De Bourg] and I have been so supportive — and at times defensive — of Dani. It was very disappointing to see the way it unfolded."

"I have not spoken to him since learning of the circ*mstances," Alli told Us. "I hope that they can coparent peacefully. I don’t wish any ill will toward him because at the end of the day, that is Lilly’s dad, and she is the most important part of all of this."

"Dani told me and announced it at the reunion," the chief stew exclusively told Us. "I had no reason to doubt Dani, and I would find it a very strange thing to lie about [with] no benefit to Dani whatsoever."

"I haven’t spoken to him since the show, not because of any other reason other than we didn’t converse much during the show," the Bravo personality added, noting that she wishes nothing but the best for her costars. "I can see Jean-Luc being an absent father."

Colin exclusively told Us that he "knew all along" that Jean-Luc was the father. He added that he has "no respect for JL as a father," especially not after his recent public statements.

"It's never too late to redeem yourself with actions, but this pathetic attempt at owning up to being a father just for the sake of social media, with a complete lack of any form of support in real life, gains no respect from me whatsoever. Which is a crying shame because every child deserves to have a father," the chief engineer added.

Lilly's father hasn't spoken to Colin in months. "He won’t reply to me, since I called him out at the very beginning to step up to the plate and be a man," the YouTuber explained.

"She was finding it extremely difficult, as you can imagine," Colin said of Dani's transition to life as a single mom.

He alleged that Dani hasn't received any type of assistance from Jean-Luc. "She has not received a single piece of financial, let alone moral, support from JL. His deceptive Instagram post was an absolutely false portrayal of his and her relationship as 'coparents,'" Colin claimed. "Dani was totally shocked by his attempt to re-gain popularity and told me she as lost for words."

He continued, telling Us exclusively, "Dani is a dear friend and I stepped up to the plate for her at the beginning in his absence, when it was a real struggle for her. I absolutely wish her the best and know that she is and will continue to be an amazing mother."

With reporting by Diana Cooper

"I guess that's good on him but Dani doesn't need him to come out on Instagram telling everybody that he's a father. Dani needs [more than that]. She's a single parent living in Australia by herself, she needs support from Jean-Luc," the first officer told E! News in February 2022. "She needs a father to be there for the child. It's all good in saying stuff on social media but words are completely different to actions and if his actions spoke louder than his words, then then it would be different, but they at the moment they're not."

The South Africa native admitted that he couldn't "forgive" his former costar for his behavior, adding, "He should have been there for her, played more of a part and not hid away from the truth. I'm brought up differently and if I had to do something like that my mother would disown me. So it's just something very hard for me to swallow his actions."

“It’s about time, first of all,” the captain told Andy Cohen in February 2022 of the DNA test. “I have touched base with them. I haven’t heard what his involvement is going to be, but … I know Dani is doing well.”

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