Jennifer Hudson Show / YouTube Ariana Madix

Being on “Vanderpump Rules” has opened many doors for star Ariana Madix, but reality television wasn’t her original plan.

In a November 13 appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show”, Madix opened up to host Jennifer Hudson about her childhood dreams and why she still took a chance on the Bravo show 10 years ago.

“It’s crazy. I was a theatre major, I was a theatre kid, I always wanted to be on Broadway,” Madix shared, “I lived in New York for a little bit, and when I moved to L.A. things just weren’t [coming together]. I was in acting classes but it was tough, I’m starting from ground zero, I didn’t know anybody, I had no connections, no nothing.”

Although she was struggling to get cast in projects and find her big break, Madix continued taking classes and trying to grow as an actor. She said, “it was actually my acting teacher that was like, ‘You know, if Martin Scorsese is not banging down your door to try to cast you in a movie, you need to say yes to the opportunities that are presented to you and make what you can of it.’”

Ariana Madix Reacts to the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 Teaser

When the opportunity to join the “Vanderpump Rules” cast (first in a recurring capacity in the show’s second season) came to Madix in 2013, she listened to her acting teacher’s advice. Looking back now, she told Hudson she’s glad she did, because “it’s been 10 years which is insane to think about, but it opened up so many doors.”

According to Bravo, Madix originally worked at Lisa Vanderpump’s now-closed West Hollywood restaurant Villa Blanca as a bartender. She was transferred over to work at SUR just in time for season two of “Vanderpump Rules”. By that time, she was already friends with her co-worker and co-star Tom Sandoval. Fans of the series followed the two as they entered into a long-term relationship that ended in season 10 when it came out that Sandoval had been having an affair with fellow cast member Rachel Leviss behind Madix’s back.

The upcoming 11th season of the series will show the cast members sorting through their emotions following the explosive revelation and media frenzy that followed. A first look at the season was shown at BravoCon 2023, during the “Vanderpump Rules” panel.

Hudson asked Madix what she thought seeing the new trailer for the first time, and Madix said, “It was the first time any of [the cast] had seen it, along with all of the fans. And obviously, it’s very intense, and it was a really hard Summer [when the new season was filmed]. So seeing that, along with everyone else was an added layer of intensity.”

Ariana Madix is Releasing a Cocktail Book

 

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Besides her current run on season 32 of “Dancing With the Stars”, another door that has opened for Madix is becoming an author. After writing a book called “Fancy AF Cocktails” with Sandoval during their relationship, Madix is releasing a solo book, “Single AF Cocktails”, on December 5.

In her original announcement, Madix described the book as her version of a “breakup album, the story of our relationship and the betrayal that ended it all, told through drinks.”

To celebrate the launch of her book, Madix will be holding live shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and Chicago, with tickets now on sale for the early December shows.

Henry Sinnott is an entertainment reporter who covers HGTV, The Voice, American Idol and Teen Mom for Heavy. Henry is based in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Binghamton University. He loves all things comedy and reality TV. More about Henry Sinnott