Ariana Madix is once again proving that success is the best revenge
The Vanderpump Rules star has only leveled up since her ex-boyfriend was exposed for cheating on her with one of her best friends.
It all went down on Season 10 of the Bravo reality series.
On March 3, 2023, TMZ broke the news that Ariana Madix and her longtime boyfriend, Tom Sandoval, had broken up.
The reason? Sandoval was having an affair with castmate Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, who just happened to be one of Ariana’s best friends.
Even before they were exposed for their affair, Leviss and Sandoval did not keep their “friendship” a secret.
In an interview with E! for the season-ten premiere, Leviss gushed about her new best friend, Tom Sandoval.
“He just is so in touch with himself and is fully accepting of who he is and is so confident, and I feel like he looks at me like a little sister and is so supportive,” she said at the time.
Just a month later, while Sandoval’s band—Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras—performed in Los Angeles, Madix spotted a sexually explicit video from Leviss on Sandoval’s phone.
Once finding out about the affair, Madix called Leviss, who has just finished taping Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in New York.
Standing with co-star Scheana Shay while on the phone with Ariana, Raquel confessed to the affair, leading to an altercation with Shay.
News of what’s now referred to as “Scandoval” broke a couple days later, and all of Madix’s Vanderpump Rules co-stars unfollowed both Leviss and Sandoval.
Season 10 of the reality series had already wrapped filming, but resumed to document the drama that unfolded after the affair became public.
Fans of the series immediately jumped on Ariana’s side, shaming Sandoval for cheating on the woman who held him down for a decade.
They also flocked to the Yelp page of his new restaurant with his BFF Tom Schwartz, Schwartz & Sandy’s, to leave negative reviews.
Sandoval eventually issued an apology, but once the episodes chronicling the affair aired, the public was even more against him.
In the months since, Ariana has blossomed, getting support from fans across the world as she took third place on Dancing With The Stars.
Now, she’s got an even bigger position to add to her resume: Broadway star.
It was announced this week that Ariana Madix will make her Broadway debut in January 2024.
The reality show favorite will star as Roxie Hart for a limited eight-week run in the long-running hit, Chicago.
She shared the big news with fans during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark on Wednesday.
“It’s just the biggest dream come true,” she said of her upcoming stint on Broadway.
“I cannot believe this is real life,” she continued. “I’m going to cry.”
While Broadway would be a big deal for any performer, this dream is a lot more personal for Madix.
What most fans might not know about Ariana is that she actually studied musical theatre at Flagler College.
Not only that, she first moved to New York City after graduation in hopes to land a spot on a Broadway show.
She never made it back then, instead moving to Los Angeles, where she would go on to find fame as a reality star on Vanderpump Rules.
Now, Madix can finally experience her life-long dream, taking her final bow after starring in her own Broadway show.
Ariana’s run in Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City will begin Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 and will go through March 24.
Chicago is Broadway’s longest running American musical in history, the revival having opened in 1996.
Madix follows a line up of Bravo stars who have taken their turns in the show, including Real Housewives of Beverly Hills stars Erika Girardi and Lisa Rinna along with Real Housewives of Atlanta stars Kandi Burrus and NeNe Leakes.