The Untold Truth Of Ariana Madix

Ariana Madix has come a long way from the young woman she was when she first showed up on Vanderpump Rules in Season 2. Back then, Ariana was a bartender who had impressed Lisa Vanderpump enough to move from her bartending position at Villa Blanca over to SUR, and she happened to know Tom Sandoval from work. She was simply Scheana Shay's buddy and the bane of Kristen Doute's existence, who was dating Sandoval at the time and was convinced that Ariana was sleeping with him. While that may not have been true at the time, now Ariana and Sandoval have bought a house and entered into business ventures together that are just propelling them all the more forward. 

In addition to becoming a core cast member and Sandoval's girlfriend, Ariana is also a fan-favorite for being open about her mental health and her sexuality on the show, which is something so many fans look up to. But Ariana came from pretty humble beginnings, so let's take a step back and see how she got where she is today in 2020. 

Ariana Madix was born in Melbourne, Fla. in 1985, and she has a younger brother, Jeremy, who was born in 1992. She went to Flagler College, where she received a Bachelor's degree in Theatre and Broadcast Communications, per her own website. She then moved to New York City and embedded herself in the sketch comedy world. In addition to that, she rode horses competitively, as fans have seen on Vanderpump Rules.

Ariana then moved to Los Angeles, where she is still based, and she has acting credits in projects like, Working It Out, Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader, Dirty Dealing 3D, and Dead End, in addition to shows such as NFL Writers Room, Single Siblings, AwesomenessTV, Dads, Anger Management, Lonely and Horny, and Waking Up With Strangers, per her IMDb profile. 

But she really rose to fame through Vanderpump Rules, where she is known as the snarky and smart member of the group. On the show, Ariana came out as bisexual, which she says doesn't bother her boyfriend Tom Sandoval, as it shouldn't. After coming out, she said she feels like she's living more "truthfully" now that fans now the real deal. They likely already assumed this, as a season before, Ariana famously hooked up with fellow cast member Lala Kent in the backseat of a car while Sandoval was driving, according to Bravo's The Daily Dish. 

One of the best things about Ariana Madix from Vanderpump Rules is that she never shies away from how she's really feeling, even when how she's feeling is terrible. In addition to speaking openly about her sexuality, Ariana has also been open about her mental health, most notably in Season 8 when she told Tom Sandoval, "I can't do this anymore. I want to leave my life," per People. Through the course of the season, she spoke to others about her depression and how she was managing it, which is helpful for anyone watching who might feel the same way. 

For his part, Sandoval seems like a super supportive boyfriend. He said on Watch What Happens Live in February 2020, "It's something we do deal with on a regular basis. Obviously, we do the best we can and we have great communication and we're very supportive and we have so much respect for each other." Communicating with his girlfriend about how she's feeling isn't the only reason he's great. Ariana said of Sandoval on the Daily Dish podcast, "He thinks I'm like, super badass. He calls me his information booth. I don't feel very badass sometimes, so that is really sweet and makes me feel more that way. I just love that he's always willing to be open and vulnerable with who he is, whether he's right or wrong. He's not really worried about that."

Ariana Madix has come a long way from doing sketch comedy in New York City with her success on Vanderpump Rules. She and Tom Sandoval, along with podcaster Danny Pellegrino, released a book called Fancy AF Cocktails, which made the Amazon Best Sellers List. They also recently bought a $2 million dollar home in Valley Village, right in the same neighborhood as Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, and Katie and Tom Schwartz. Kristen Doute, Sandoval's ex and her former nemesis also lives close by, per The Hollywood Reporter. Ariana is making upwards of $25,000 per episode these days, too, per the same outlet. 

In all, Ariana is happy to be in the spotlight, sharing her life with people. She said in a Daily Pop interview in March 2020, "People who are fans or on social media, who, now I feel like we have this relationship where they'll come to me and say, 'This is what I'm going through.' And honestly, it's so helpful for me to hear them from them. And they're saying it's helpful for them to hear from me, and I'm like, okay, so we're both getting something good out of this relationship." For that reason and many more, Ariana is one to watch.