Property Brothers Star Jonathan Scott First Marriage Ended In A Quick Divorce
Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel haven't really been in a rush to formally tie the knot since getting engaged back in August 2023, telling People exactly two years later that they still hadn't even started planning the wedding at that point. While his seemingly lackadaisical approach to wedding planning has put him at odds with twin brother and HGTV co-star, Drew Scott, given that the two share a schedule, it's not hard to see why Jonathan is happy to take his time. After all, his first marriage to Kelsy Ully was a rushed affair that culminated in a similarly speedy divorce. And according to an expert we consulted, that particular wedding was one that seemed to check the wrong boxes for the wrong reasons.
Speaking to People in 2017 — eight years after his split from Ully and four years after their divorce was finalized — Jonathan noted that there "was sort of a rush going into" the marriage, as his ex-wife "wanted to get married on 07/07/07 ... so it wasn't something that naturally happened." Multi-award-winning international wellness and relationship coach Teresha Young told us that this was an early red flag. Though there are exceptions, such as legal or health-related complications, Young said that "in most cases, rushing wedding planning simply to meet a specific date can raise alarm bells."
She added that a couple ought to choose their wedding date based on "real mutual understanding and emotional readiness," rather than "outside expectations" or "the charm of a 'lucky' date." Young elaborated: "When couples prioritize symbolism over substance, it becomes easy to bypass crucial conversations around values, how money will be handled, how disagreements will be managed, or how families will blend. These are the areas that ultimately shape the long-term health of a relationship."
Getting married quickly isn't necessarily good or bad (nor is waiting)
Though the contrived nature of Jonathan Scott's first marriage to Kelsy Ully was arguably an early warning sign that things between them wouldn't last, relationship expert Teresha Young explained to us that getting married quickly isn't necessarily a guarantee that divorce will follow. On the other side of the coin, while Jonathan and fiancée Zooey Deschanel opted for a long engagement, Young says that a couple taking their time to tie the knot isn't necessarily guaranteed to make their eventual marriage last. According to the expert, the quality of the time spent together is far more than the quantity. "What truly matters is how well two people genuinely know each other, how openly they communicate, and how much effort they put into choosing each other, day in and day out," Young said.
What's more, Young says that maintaining that quality connection is something that requires constant, conscious effort — and that big milestones, such as marriage, can't sustain a relationship on their own. "It's the ongoing quality of connection, rather than the length of time before getting engaged or married, that most strongly influences whether a relationship truly thrives," she explained.
Fortunately, a lengthy engagement isn't the only thing Jonathan and Zooey Deschanel have going for them. And by all accounts, Jonathan has learned from previous mistakes, as the elder Property Brother and his betrothed seem to be checking all the right boxes in the lead-up to their (eventual) big day. "We're not in a rush because we've been together so long, so it's not like we're like, 'We gotta get married,'" Deschanel told People in December 2025, adding, "I'd rather find the right place, the right place and situation, so that it's really special and fun."