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Ariana Madix has hung up her reality TV hat and isn't looking back. The Vanderpump Rules alum has revealed that she had already made up her mind about leaving the Bravo reality series long before the network announced its full cast reboot for Season 12.
In an exclusive interview with People, Madix shared that she had no intention of returning for another season after the explosive Season 11 finale. "I don't think I was ever going to go back to Vanderpump Rules," she admitted. "That's the first time I've ever said that publicly, but I was never going to."
Her decision was largely influenced by the emotional toll of her very public breakup with longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval, who shattered their decade-long relationship with a months-long affair with co-star Rachel "Raquel" Leviss. Known as Scandoval, the drama dominated headlines and became a pop culture moment—but Madix is done reliving it. "I hate that name too," she said. "That word has never come out of my mouth."
For Madix, stepping away from the show wasn't about thinking she was "too good" for it. Rather, it was about realizing that it no longer aligned with who she was. "It just didn't feel right," she explained. "If I did go back, I wouldn't have been able to do the job that would make a good show... the story didn't make sense."
Surprisingly, the Chicago star never felt completely at home in the world of reality television. "I was never really made for reality TV," she confessed. "I don't think I've ever been what makes 'a good reality star.' In some ways, that's what has made me a good reality star."
Madix also reflected on the psychological toll of being on a show that thrives on drama. "I've learned that maybe that's not the best setting for me. When you're not being yourself, you get yourself into situations where you're saying or doing things that you don't really back or believe in."
Now, she's channeling her energy into new ventures. Since leaving Vanderpump Rules, Madix has found success as the host of Peacock's Love Island USA, a move that has allowed her to truly be herself.
"I feel at almost 40 like my true self," she said. "I'm surrounded by such amazing friends and family. It feels really good to be in a position where I'm able to do what I love and make a living doing it."
After years of navigating reality TV drama, Madix is finally where she wants to be—living authentically and on her own terms. And for fans who watched her journey, that might just be the happiest ending of all.
