Ariana Madix

Ariana Madix (born June 24, 1985) is an American television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is a cast member on the Bravo reality television series Vanderpump Rules.

She finished in third place on season 32 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, paired with Pasha Pashkov. Her cocktail book, Single AF Cocktails, was released on December 5, 2023 and became a New York Times best seller. She made her Broadway theatre debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in January 2024.

Early life and education
Madix was born on June 24, 1985, in Melbourne, Florida, and raised by her father, Jim, and mother, Tanya. Ariana lived with both of her parents as well as her younger brother, Jeremy Madix. Jim is of Irish descent and Tanya's ethnicity is unknown. According to a Radar Online report, her childhood was unstable. In a Glamour interview, Madix said: "My dad would not come home. He's no longer with us and I love him and feel like he was going through some stuff and doing his best in a lot of ways, but he would have a tendency to be done with work and be at the dive bar as opposed to helping us with our homework. And my mom did everything." In therapy, she realized that overachieving was a coping mechanism, saying "If I'm perfect, then he'll want to be there."

She began riding horses at age 6 and had a competitive equestrian career. She also won two national dance championships. She graduated from Eau Gallie High School in 2003. In 2007, she graduated from Flagler College, where she received a dual bachelor's degree in Theatre and Broadcast Communications. She worked as costumed characters such as Ariel, Cinderella and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) at Disney World while she was studying in college. After college, she moved to New York City with a dream to "be on Broadway." She stayed for five years and worked as a bartender and hostess at restaurant Butter.

2008–2023: Career beginnings and Vanderpump Rules
Early in her career, she was frequently cast in videos for comedy website CollegeHumor. Madix struggled to get television roles in New York City, so she decided to move to Los Angeles, saying: "I was doing acting stuff, but I couldn't push past whatever [I needed to] because I didn't have legitimate television credits or anything to be able to move into the next level." She started working at Lisa Vanderpump's restaurants SUR and Villa Blanca, which earned her a spot on the reality television series Vanderpump Rules in 2013, following the lives of the SUR, PUMP, and Villa Blanca servers.

She had guest roles on several television series, including Fox's live-action sitcom Dads and FX's sitcom Anger Management. She also appeared in films Working It Out (2010), Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt (2011), Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012), Dirty Dealing 3D (2018) and Dead End (2019). In 2019, she appeared as herself in the comedy television series The Other Two, in the episode "Chase Shoots a Music Video". On December 3, 2019, Madix and Tom Sandoval released their cocktail book Fancy AF Cocktails: Drink Recipes from a Couple of Professional Drinkers by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

In March 2023, Madix began filming Lifetime film Buying Back My Daughter (2023) in Vancouver. She plays a police officer Karen, investigating a sex trafficking case. The film is part of the messaging of the network's "Stop Violence Against Women" campaign. On June 7, 2023, People published first photos of Madix as Karen on Buying Back My Daughter. For her role on Vanderpump Rules, Madix and her co-stars Scheana Shay, Katie Maloney and Lala Kent won the "Best Reality On-Screen Team" award at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards. On July 7, 2023, Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough announced on Good Morning America that Madix would appear on season 32 of ABC's dance competition series Dancing with the Stars. Madix and her dance partner Pasha Pashkov finished in third place. On July 11, 2023, streaming service Peacock announced that Madix would make a special guest appearance on the fifth season of Love Island. She headed to Fiji to surprise the new cast of ten singles during week two of the show, which aired daily starting July 18, 2023. In November 2023, she was a special guest host in three episodes on the first season of Love Island Games.

Her second cocktailbook, Single AF Cocktails, was released on December 5, 2023 by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. The book debuted at 10 on The New York Times advice, how-to & miscellaneous best seller list for the week ending December 24, 2023.

2024–present: Broadway theatre and television hosting
On December 6, 2023, Madix announced that she will make her Broadway debut in the role of Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. She played the role for eight weeks starting on January 29, 2024. Broadway theatre has been a long-time goal for Madix, saying: "It's just the biggest dream come true. I cannot believe this is real life. I'm going to cry." BroadwayWorld reported that Madix's debut week had its highest grossing non-holiday performance week in the show's history. The ongoing production of Chicago is Broadway's second longest-running American musical in history, which has run for 27 years. It trails only Phantom of the Opera which ran for 35 years. The production grossed $939,177.40 for the week ending February 4, 2024. Her Broadway run was extended from March 24, 2024 to April 7, 2024 due to popular demand.

Her Broadway performance received positive reviews, Refinery29 writing: "Now, I am no theater critic, but if I were, I'd give Madix five stars. She hit her notes, danced her steps, and nailed her jokes. Her physical comedy was spectacular, her chemistry was palpable, and her stage presence was magnetic." People magazine reported that Madix "gave a killer performance with the polish and skill of a Broadway veteran. She received standing ovations by curtain's close and smiled brightly for the crowd as she took her bows."

Madix replaced Sarah Hyland as host for the sixth season of the dating reality series Love Island.

On May 6, 2024, it was announced that Madix would be returning to play the role of Roxie Hart once again, in the musical Chicago. She is set to begin her second Broadway run from August 1, through September 1, 2024.

Dancing with the Stars performances
Average: 35.5/40; 26.6/30

Business ventures
In November 2017, she released a holiday lip kit, "Ariana Nudist Lip Set" with Frankie Rose Cosmetics, consisting of three nude-colored lipsticks. On July 21, 2023, Madix announced a lipstick collaboration with Lip Lab, consisting of four lipsticks. She worked with color experts and the collection is inspired by her life, interests and ideals she stands for. On April 12, 2024, Madix released an exclusive shoe collection, "The Ariana Madix Collection" with Designer Shoe Warehouse. The collection includes her favorite styles from DWS, but does not include shoes designed by Madix.

Sandwich shop
In 2022, Madix and her Vanderpump Rules co-star Katie Maloney announced plans to open a sandwich shop and wine bar called Something About Her. In November 2023, Something About Her teamed up with Lay’s chips to release an exclusive flavor called Lay’s Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. The sandwich shop opening faced numerous setbacks and delays. On May 22, 2024, the Something About Her sandwich shop officially opened to the public with their grand opening. The restaurant opened in high demand and guests queued for up to three hours on the opening day. Something About Her received positive reviews upon opening.

Public image
In March 2023, Madix became a subject of wide media attention, after her boyfriend of nine years, Tom Sandoval, was caught having a months-long affair with Madix's best friend and Vanderpump Rules co-star Raquel Leviss. Madix has successfully parlayed her media fame into numerous business endeavors. After the breakup, Madix appeared on the Today show, Call Her Daddy podcast, The New York Times newspaper and on the cover of the June 2023 issue of Glamour. Madix has partnered with numerous brands to create sponsored online content such as Bic, Uber 1, Lay's, Bloomingdale's, SoFi, Duracell, T-Mobile and Nutrafol.

Madix wore a red cut-out Mônot dress at the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion that left her torso nearly exposed apart from well-placed bands across her chest and waist. The garment instantly received significant media coverage and the dress was discussed by those in the fashion and entertainment industry for weeks. The dress was dubbed as "The Revenge Dress" by the media. On May 26, 2023, in an interview with Madix's stylist, Emily Men, Rolling Stone noted that "Madix has been serving standout looks" since the scandal and her "outfits have garnered a lot of attention and praise." Grazia magazine wrote: "Ariana Madix showed up in a look that redefines the term 'revenge dress.' (Remember, the whole phrase started when Princess Diana wore the off-the-shoulder LBD by Christina Stambolian at the time when Prince Charles' affair was being exposed, which ushered in her post-divorce era style.)" Insider wrote: "Pictures of her quickly went viral on social media, with many hailing Madix as the new queen of revenge dressing."

In October 2023, Madix was placed at number one on Us Weekly's "Top 10 Reality Stars of the Year" list, and appeared on the magazine cover with an accompanying interview. She was also one of the women included on Variety 's "40 Most Powerful Women on Reality TV in 2023" list, with the magazine writing: "Madix emerged from the #Scandoval a hero, and has managed to turn the unwanted exposure into incalculable brand deals, an appearance at the White House Correspondents Dinner and a turn on Dancing With the Stars." Madix was one of the celebrities on People 's 2023 25 Most Intriguing People of the Year list.

Personal life
In an 2023 interview with Us Weekly, Madix revealed that in the future she would like to own a home, be on Broadway and be the host of a dating show. She had accomplished all of the three goals by March 2024, when she became the host of Love Island, made her Broadway debut and bought a home.

Relationships
Madix was in a relationship with Tom Sandoval from 2014 to 2023. Prior to the beginning of their relationship, Sandoval and Madix had previously engaged in an affair while he was in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend of six years Kristen Doute. Madix separated publicly from Sandoval after it was revealed that he had cheated on Madix with her friend and co-star, Raquel (now Rachel) Leviss. The media outlets referred to their break-up and its aftermath as "Scandoval". Madix is currently dating New York City-based fitness coach Daniel Wai. The pair met at a mutual friend's wedding in Mexico and maintain a long distance relationship as Madix lives in Los Angeles and Wai in New York City.

In 2020, Madix came out as bisexual.

Health
In 2018, she had surgery to remove a tumor after being diagnosed with skin cancer. She became an ambassador for The Skin Cancer Foundation and Madix uses her public platform to advocate and bring awareness to skin cancer. She discussed the foundation's services in an episode of E!'s Daily Pop.

In February 2022, Madix revealed that she had been struggling with an eating disorder when she joined Vanderpump Rules but has recovered since.