What's Happened to Ariana Madix Since Vanderpump Rules Season 10
A closer look at the cast member's busy year following her split from Tom Sandoval.
In the wake of her split from her boyfriend of nine years in March 2023, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix has been keeping busy with weddings, red carpet appearances, and plenty of hangouts with a few cast members from the Vanderpump Rules gang. Here's a closer look at what she's been up to in 2023, including BravoCon 2023, Vanderpump Rules Season 11, work on Something About Her and Single AF Cocktails, and more.
What happened to Ariana Madix?
In March 2023, Ariana discovered that Tom was having an affair with a fellow Vanderpump Rules cast member during a concert for his band. The couple broke up that same night after nine years of dating and the news became public shortly after. Cameras captured the fallout from the affair and their split, as seen in the Season 10 finale episode and three-part reunion, airing in May and June 2023.
What is Ariana Madix is doing now?
It’s safe to say that Ariana has a lot on her plate and doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Ariana appeared at BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas November 3-5, 2023, where she appeared on panels and spoke about her experience filming Vanderpump Rules Season 11, which will debut in January 2024. Ariana is currently competing on Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars and continues to kill it in the dance department week after week with her partner, Pasha Pashkov. Ariana's TV appearances this year also include Peacock’s Love Island USA Season 5, where she surprised the islanders in Fiji during their second week of the competition in July 2023. In April 2023, Ariana attended the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, alongside Lala Kent and Lisa Vanderpump.
The former SUR bartender is also releasing a book, Single AF Cocktails, which is filled with recipes for “high-drama" cocktails. Not only will this book teach you how to make some delicious drinks, but it will also reveal more about the Bravoleb. “Each drink tells part of the story from her point of view, from when she first met her ex, through the insidious affair and its painful aftermath, and to her present state, coming out the other side, stronger than before,” according to a press release. Single AF Cocktails will be released on December 5, 2023. All while she’s juggling this, she is busy on working on her West Hollywood sandwich shop Something About Her, with her friend and fellow Vanderpump Rules cast member, Katie Maloney. As of November 2023, the pair shared that the shop is still in the process of opening. "No one wants to hear soon, and that’s not the answer, but soon,” Katie said during Vanderpump Rules' BravoCon 2023 cast panel.
As Ariana told Entertainment Tonight in May 2023, she's been "enjoying" having a full schedule as of late.
"I am in a position right now where I just want to do everything, and I really am enjoying myself doing as much as I can," Ariana told the outlet about how staying on the move has been helpful for her as she navigates her breakup. "I think something that's really helpful is being really busy. It's like I have moments of processing, moments of feeling, and then, because I'm able to have something on the horizon to look forward to that day, or the next week or whatever, it's helping me to not stay stuck."
As she looks toward the future, Ariana is focusing on the good things she has going on in her life, rather than reflecting on her ex's affair.
"I want to claim independence," she said. "I want to claim success. I want to reclaim my time. I want to claim all of the good vibes and positivity, and I want to leave all the negative stuff in the past."
Ariana Madix reveals what it was like to film Vanderpump Rules Season 11
During the Vanderpump Rules cast panel at BravoCon 2023, Ariana shared that filming the upcoming season was hard for her. “I knew it was going to be difficult, I knew it was going to be weird,” she said. “I knew that I was gonna have some very strong and some very negative feelings. But ultimately if anything the last year has shown me that I can do hard things and it was hard. But we did it.” Following BravoCon, Ariana further teased what's to come this season as well as how the audience may react to Tom.
Does Ariana Madix have anything to say to ex Tom Sandoval?
Since Ariana is focused on putting "all the negative stuff" behind her, she doesn't want to be in contact with Tom anymore. She told The L.A. Times in May 2023 that she doesn't have space for her ex in her life now, and she said everything she need to say to him at the Season 10 reunion. "I don’t have anything to say to him," she said about their post-breakup contact.
Ariana appeared on stage with Tom and the Vanderpump Rules cast during their cast panel at BravoCon 2023. When asked if he had any regrets about the events that unfolded, Tom said: “Yes, of course, I would have done things differently, but I can’t really look towards the past.”
“Any apology was essentially rescinded with whatever the hell was said after that,” Ariana said, noting that they are “not going to be acquaintances or friends.”
Ariana Madix has been spending time with boyfriend Daniel Wai, friends, and family
The Something About Her co-founder has truly been keeping "really busy" this year as she shared on Instagram on May 23, 2023. Ariana shared a carousel of photos showcasing what she's been up to "lately" on the app, including a mirror selfie of her wearing a low-cut red dress. In another photo from the post, Ariana danced with the bride at a wedding, and more pictures gave a behind-the-scenes looks as she spent time with Scheana Shay, Dayna Kathan, Brittany Cartwright, brother Jeremy Madix, and her former SUR boss, Lisa Vanderpump.
That’s not all, though. Ariana also has a new man in her life, boyfriend Daniel Wai.
The pair was first spotted together at Coachella in April 2023. During her appearance on the May 17, 2023 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Ariana dished on her connection to the fitness trainer, who is based in New York. “I’ll just say that I am very happy and very satisfied,” Ariana coyly told host Andy Cohen.
Since then, Ariana has opened up about their long-distance relationship. "He's a very grounding, calming, positive energy. He's always trying to help with things," she said on the August 25, 2023 episode of castmate Scheana Shay's Scheananigans podcast.
Her Vanderpump Rules pals have also weighed in on the relationship.
“The way that I witnessed him treat her, I’ve honestly — not even in the beginning of her relationship with Tom — [never] seen her light up the way she does when he gets around her, when she talks about him,” Scheana told E! News in May 2023 about how Ariana has the “best energy” around Daniel. “It’s been really, really amazing to just see her so happy.”
Lala Kent agreed, adding, “Just the way that she talks about him, her energy is just completely different. I’m so happy for her, because as an outsider, I was watching her and her relationship, just really feeling for her.”
Originally published May 25, 2023.
