Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix reveals that she almost quit the reality TV show during Season 8.
She explains on the Dating Straight podcast that filming the show has taken a toll on her mental health.
One particular moment brought on a particularly rough episode that almost made her quit the show.
“Season 8, my birthday party, I bought this outfit that I thought was going to be so cute. And I tried it on, and it didn’t fit me, and it sent me on this spiral. I ended up being like two hours late to filming. I was like, ‘I’m not going to go,’” Ariana reveals.
She says that she did eventually end up going to set thanks to consolation from a producer.
“Those are the kind of moments where you think, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’” she adds. “[But] having those producers we are so close with, they’re the kind of people who can bring you back to a place where you’re like, ‘Yeah, I can do this.'”
Ariana’s experience coming out on the show
She explains that the added pressure of being a public figure doesn’t help. She has been targeted for being bisexual, and viewers and cast members alike consistently question her sexuality.
“Something that has always really gotten to me when it comes to the show is that if someone says anything on the show, people take it as true no matter what,” Ariana shares. “And sometimes pushing back almost make people go, ‘Oh, see it is true!’”
“It’s one of those things where you don’t control your own narrative,” she adds.
Ariana’s time on Vanderpump Rules
Ariana wasn’t initially one of the featured players on Vanderpump Rules. She had a reoccurring guest role for Season 2 where she appeared as Scheana Shay’s best friend and the object of Kristen Doute’s jealousy.
Kristen consistently accused Tom Sandoval of cheating on her with Ariana when they were together. He denied it at the time, but he later admitted he and Ariana kissed while he was still with Kristen.
After he and Kristen broke up, he and Ariana started dating. The two have been together ever since.
Viewers watched their relationship play out throughout the seasons. Over the years, the couple debated getting married and having kids. Tom wants both, where Ariana wants neither.
Tom and Ariana have also thrived as they’ve published a cocktail book together, and Tom Sandoval became a co-owner of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant TomTom.
Vanderpump Rules has yet to be confirmed for Season 9 on Bravo.