Ariana Madix claims she was nearly broke in the weeks before she learned that her then-boyfriend, Tom Sandoval, was cheating on her.
The news comes as a shock to Vanderpump Rules fans, many of whom assumed that Ariana had been raking in the dough throughout her time on the popular Bravo series.
And while she has been making good money the past couple of seasons, it seems that that’s a pretty new development.
And it coincided with a very expensive time in Ariana’s life.
Ariana Madix Makes Broadway Debut In “Chicago” on January 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Ariana Madix: I’m Broke! I Have No Choice But to Keep Living With Sandoval!
Tonight’s episode of Vanderpump Rules, features a scene in which Ariana opens up to her friends about her living situation (she still shares a home with Sandoval) and her finances.
“The internet thinks I’ve made millions of dollars, that is not true, and it’s like, on March 1, was I financially prepared to move? No,” Ariana says in a preview clip posted by Bravo.
“Literally the week before all of this happened, I remember emailing my agent and my manager and being like, ‘Guys, let’s start, like, really trying to, like, do some s–t because I am not in a good place financially.
Katie Maloney-Schwartz and Ariana Madix attend DailyMail.com and TMX opening celebration of Schwartz & Sandy’s on July 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for DailyMail.com)
“When I first started making, like, decent money, we decided we wanted to buy a house, and then I was playing catch-up all the way up until Katie and I found a great location for our sandwich shop, then a bunch of my money went toward that, and now I was at a point where in March I was literally on, like, my last $2,000,” Ariana revealed.
The sandwich shop she co-owns with Katie Maloney still isn’t open for business, but Ariana’s financial situation has done a complete 180 in the past year.
In fact, these days, she’s got more work than she can handle.
Ariana Madix attends the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and broadcast on June 5, 2022. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for MTV)
Ariana Madix: Broke No More!
In the months after news of Sandoval’s affair came out, Ariana booked Dancing With the Stars and the lead role in Chicago on Broadway.
She also signed endorsement deals with Uber Eats, Bic, T-Mobile, and Glad trash bags.
(That last one seems sort of random until you remember who Ariana’s ex is.)
Tom and Raquel’s romance has come to an end, but the fallout will likely remain with them for the rest of their lives! (Bravo)
Sandoval, of course, has thrown his fair share of shade by making remarks about how Ariana won “the breakup lottery.”
But as she pointed out in a recent interview with the LA Times, she works in the entertainment industry, and she’s making the best of a bad situation.
“I think those people are confused about what it is that I do for a living,” she told the outlet (via The Ashley’s Reality Roundup).
Ariana Madix attends the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and broadcast on June 5, 2022. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
“Those are acting jobs. I’m doing the same job I have done for many years; I’m just working more,” she continued.
“And that’s why I signed up for Vanderpump Rules in the first place — to work more.”
And as a bonus, Ariana’s pain helped to keep all of her friends on Vanderpump employed for another season.
Sandoval and everyone else on that cast should be thanking her.
Ariana Madix: I Was Broke Prior to Tom Sandoval’s Affair, Still Can’t Afford … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.