Ariana Madix Says She ‘Felt Like Superwoman’ Overcoming Scandoval Affair: ‘Learned So Many Lessons’

“I felt like I could do anything because all of that,” Madix said of her ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval’s months-long affair with their former ‘Vanderpump Rules’ costar Rachel Leviss

Ariana Madix is reflecting on Scandoval.

It’s been a little over a year since Madix, 38, ended her nine-year relationship with Tom Sandoval after discovering his months-long affair with their former Vanderpump Rules costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.

And while speaking about her book — Single AF Cocktails: Drinks for Bad B*tches, which she released following the affair — at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 21, Madix admitted that she’s learned a few things since the cheating scandal first unfolded in March 2023.

“That was one thing that I think even initially I was like, well, I felt like Superwoman. I felt like I could do anything because all of that, I thought I would never be able to handle something like that, and then I did, and I feel like that’s something that a lot of us, when we go through hard things, we realize like, ‘Oh, I could do that,’ ” the Dancing with the Stars contestant told Yvonne Villarreal during a panel at the festival.

“That means I could do other things too. I also think that not just as a woman, but also as a Cancer, I feel like a lot of times I don’t trust my intuition and I’ve learned so many lessons,” Madix added.

“It’s like the universe does not let you not learn the lesson that you need to learn, and it keeps shoving it in your face, and trusting my intuition is one that it will never … I got to learn it. I got to learn that lesson because otherwise, I’m just going to keep getting it shoved down my throat,” the reality TV star continued.

Madix was also asked about a “certain someone” not being “pleased” about her previously sharing how she wanted to work on a cocktail book on her own (Madix and Sandoval co-wrote Fancy AF Cocktails together in 2019).

“I think that over many, many years, not just from that person but from just outside voices in general, I definitely got it in my head because I wasn’t able to do that book by myself,” she said.

“But once that happened and just other things kind of being pigeonholed as just the girlfriend of someone, even though I have such ambition and I had drive, at one point, I felt like I needed to prove to myself that I could do things on my own, and I think I proved that to myself and I think that was really important for me to do,” Madix said, adding that she got the chance to do the book “very soon” after the split.

Madix’s comments come after she spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the breakup in an interview published in February. Despite facing criticism from some about the amount of opportunities — from brand sponsorships to a starring role in Chicago on Broadway — she’s taken since the scandal, Madix insisted she’s “not in a position to say no right now.”

“My team would be like, ‘This is a really great offer from Bic, look at it.’ And I’d say, ‘It is a fantastic offer, but even if it wasn’t, I’m not in a position to say no right now, because I have to make myself financially stable from now until kingdom come,’” the TV personality told the outlet.

Madix also said those who may think she’s overexposed, “don’t want women to work.” “I think those people are confused about what it is that I do for a living. Those are acting jobs,” she continued. “I’m doing the same job I have done for many years; I’m just working more. And that’s why I signed up for Vanderpump Rules in the first place — to work more.”