Ariana Madix has definitely put her Vanderpump Rules days behind her. In the immortal words of Taylor Swift, they are “never, ever, ever, ever getting back together. Like ever.”
Even though she spent 11 years of her life as part of the Pump Rules cast, Ariana has so moved on. Since leaving the show, she’s starred in Chicago on Broadway, hosted Love Island USA, and finished third on Dancing with the Stars.
In hindsight, Tom Sandoval did his ex a favor when he cheated on her with Rachel Leviss. She might still be stuck in that relationship if he hadn’t been found out. Now she has a new boyfriend, fitness coach/bartender Daniel Wai. Ariana is on fire.
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Ariana Madix admits a Vanderpump Rules return wouldn’t “make sense”
These days, Ariana has a whole lot more confidence in herself. She also has a new business, Something About Her, the West Hollywood sandwich shop she opened with VPR alum Katie Maloney. But Ariana isn’t giving any of the credit for her success to Tom.
“It’s funny, because it probably seems like things [happened] for me overnight,” she tells People. “[But] when it comes to my team, I’ve had the same manager since before I was ever on Vanderpump Rules, and we’ve worked our butts off for almost 15 years.”
“While things maybe weren’t playing out in the public eye, there were always balls in the court,” she adds. “I’ve never had anyone else as part of the focus of what I want to do with my life.”
As she approaches 40, the former VPR cast member has finally stepped out of Tom’s shadow. “I feel … like my true self,” she says. “I’m surrounded by such amazing friends and family. It feels really good to be in a position where I’m able to do what I love and make a living doing it … I feel really lucky.”
Ariana Madix looks forward, not back, as Vanderpump Rules moves on with a new cast
In November 2024, Bravo surprised some fans by announcing that Pump Rules would continue with Season 12 – but with a whole new cast. After 11 years of history, there were just too many “fractions” among the old cast.
“Everyone was still stuck in their feelings and refusing to bend,” an insider said at the time. “The network felt there was no path forward with the group.”
For her part, Ariana had already decided not to return to the show. “I don’t think I was ever going to go back to Vanderpump Rules,” she confesses. “That’s the first time I’ve ever said that publicly, but I was never going to.”
“It just didn’t feel right,” she clarifies. “Not in any sort of rude way … not in a, ‘I’m too good for this’, but it just didn’t feel right. If I did go back, I wouldn’t have been able to do the job that would make a good show.”
In the meantime, the author of two cocktail books made her mental health a priority. She wisely realized that returning to VPR would be unhealthy and would undo all the healing she’d worked so hard to achieve.
Ariana recognized that “maybe that’s not the best setting for me … It’s not a setting that really allows me to be myself. And when you’re not being yourself, you get yourself into situations where you’re saying or doing things that you don’t really … believe in.”
Vanderpump Rules is available for streaming on Peacock.
