Ariana Madix has removed a certain word from her vocabulary for good — “Scandoval”.
In March 2023, everything changed for the reality star when she discovered longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval had been having an affair with her friend and co-star Rachel Leviss, formerly known as Raquel, for MONTHS. It was the biggest scandal ever to hit Vanderpump Rules, becoming a hot topic even outside the Bravo fandom for months as fans learned more and more about the betrayal and deceit of the two cheaters! Like most major scandals, it quickly got a shorthand name: Scandoval.
We were all scandalized — and intrigued by every new development, naturally. But for the woman at the center of it all, this was a heartbreaking moment. This was the man she’d been with for over nine years, a huge part of her life! And so much of it was… BS!
So two years later, how does the Dancing with the Stars alum look back on the breakup drama? She made it clear in a new interview published with People on Thursday: “I don’t.”
Wow! All those years together, but it is just not something on her mind! In fact, she revealed she has never and will never say the word “Scandoval”. Ariana said:
“I hate that name too. That word has never come out of my mouth. Even when someone said it to me in regards to something I was wearing, I never said it back.”
Noted!
Again, for her it isn’t a reality TV scandal, it’s her life! So fair play. And Ariana had more things to say in her interview from there! Take a look (below)…
Not Returning To VPR
The immediate fallout from… that cheating scandal… is Ariana decided not to return to Vanderpump Rules for Season 12! And she seemed to be the first domino as Bravo announced in November they would no longer continue with the current cast — Season 12 would feature fresh faces, current employees at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant SUR instead of former ones. You know, the show is returning to its roots. The decision made a lot of sense since a lot of friendships were destroyed by Scandoval (what, we never said we wouldn’t say it!). Most didn’t even want to film with each other anymore. It ultimately never would have worked with the old cast.
Now Ariana is confirming — like bestie Katie Maloney — that she has no plans to ever return to the show! And it’s not even because she’s at a whole other level of fame, what with being a Broadway star and the host of Love Island USA! She just felt she wouldn’t have been able to do the job. Ariana explained about her firm decision:
“I don’t think I was ever going to go back to Vanderpump Rules. That’s the first time I’ve ever said that publicly, but I was never going to. It just didn’t feel right. Not in any sort of rude way, not in a professional, ‘We don’t need this,’ 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. And so it just wasn’t going to make sense, the story didn’t make sense.”
We understand! If Katie wasn’t returning, who would Ariana have talked to since she had a falling out with Lala Kent and Scheana Shay? And obviously, she didn’t want to film with Tom. Ultimately, this is an ensemble cast. Having her on her own while the rest of her co-stars interacted with each other would have been odd. Not to mention, the series used to be about the lives of staffers at SUR! Ariana and the rest of them don’t work there anymore! It just didn’t make sense! So after Scandoval, it was time to see them go…
It wasn’t just because Ariana couldn’t produce a good storyline moving forward, though. She also wanted to protect her mental health. During the extended time off after Season 11, the television personality took time to heal and didn’t want to risk ruining the progress she made. That meant no more VPR. Ariana continued:
“I was never really made for reality TV. I don’t think I’ve ever been what makes ‘a good reality star.’ I think in some ways that’s what has made me a good reality star. But that being said, I think that a lot of times I got in my head.”
The cocktail book author shared she thought she was too “boring” and “ugly” at times, adding:
“That type of dialogue, I was having it in my head constantly filming nearly every scene, unless maybe I had a glass of wine. That’s just not a good way to be. I’ve also learned that maybe that’s not the best setting for me, and 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 back or believe in.”
Her Boo
Elsewhere in the interview, Ariana couldn’t help but gush about her boyfriend Daniel Wai. They met at a mutual friend’s wedding in Mexico shortly after her breakup with Sandoval, and they’ve been going surprisingly strong ever since. We kinda thought he’d be a rebound, but in fact, she still sounds SO happy with him! Describing Daniel as the “most beautiful person” with the “most beautiful smile”, the host expressed that her boo has shown her what real love is! She said:
“He’s taught me that the things that I perceive as imperfections or flaws are non-existent to him. There’s things that I’ll say like, ‘I hate this about myself, I hate that about myself,’ and without him ever hearing me say that, or him even knowing, he’ll be like, ‘Man, I love this about you.’”
Aww! She continued:
“He’s taught me not to focus on those things because someone who loves you doesn’t even see that. And if they do see it, they think it’s amazing about you.”
Awwww!
Sounds like Ariana finally found herself a good man! The couple are in a bicoastal relationship, though — which isn’t nearly as exciting as it sounds. It just means Ariana still lives in Los Angeles, while Daniel is in New York City. They don’t have any plans to move in with each other yet, so she’s focused on making her new place in the Hollywood Hills a home now. (Yes, she finally moved out of her shared house with Sandy!) She said:
“It’s funny, because my first night in that house wasn’t until a while after I had gotten it. I was in New York when I got the house. It’s interesting, trying to fill a house takes so long. It’s been nice, it’s been good.”
We love this era of Ariana! Keep thriving and looking forward, girl! Watch more of the interview (below):
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below!
[Image via WWHL/Bravo/YouTube,Daniel Wai/Instagram]
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