Ariana Madix Reveals She Was Ready to Quit Vanderpump Rules Before the Reboot & Thought She Was Boring on TV
Ariana Madix is opening up about why she had no plans to return to Vanderpump Rules—even before Bravo announced a reboot of the series.
In a new interview, the 39-year-old reality star revealed she was ready to walk away from the show, reflected on Scandoval, and shared how she’s embracing her life outside of reality TV.
“I don’t think I was ever going to go back to Vanderpump Rules, Ariana told PEOPLE’s StyleWatch on March 13.
“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 a rude way, not in a ‘I’m too good for this’ way, but it just didn’t make sense. If I did go back, I wouldn’t have been able to do the job that would make a good show.”
Ariana admitted that reality TV never truly felt like the right fit for her. “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 got in my head a lot,” she explained, sharing that she often worried about being too “boring” or “ugly” on camera.
“That type of dialogue, I was having it in my head constantly while filming nearly every scene. That’s just not a good way to be.”
Now that she’s stepped away from Vanderpump Rules and is preparing to turn 40, Ariana says she’s finally living as her “true self.”
“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,” she shared. “Being in this business for many, many years, it’s taken a long time to get to that point, and I feel really lucky.”
As for Scandoval, the cheating scandal involving her ex Tom Sandoval, 42, and their former friend and castmate Rachel Raquel Leviss, 30, Ariana has put it firmly in the past.
“I don’t,” she said when asked how she looks back on the situation. “I hate that name too. That word has never come out of my mouth.”
With her Vanderpump days behind her, Ariana is focusing on new opportunities, including her $1.6 million Hollywood Hills home, her relationship with boyfriend Daniel Wai, and her return to be the host for Love Island season 7.
Now, as she embraces a new chapter, she’s doing it entirely on her own terms.
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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.
