Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix admits she was 'on her last $2,000' before cashing in on Scandoval

Ariana Madix revealed she was 'on [her] last $2,000' before finding success in the aftermath of Scandoval.

In a preview of an upcoming episode of Vanderpump Rules, the 38-year-old reality TV star was seen opening up to her castmates about her past and present financial situation.

She confessed that she was 'not in a good place financially' prior to the viral scandal, which stemmed from her discovery of her now-ex, Tom Sandoval, having an affair with her friend Rachel Leviss.

In the scene, Madix was seen opening up to James Kennedy's girlfriend Ally Lewber, Lala Kent, Katie Maloney and Scheana Shay — who also revealed in a recent episode that Sandoval lent her money when she was 'broke' at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'The internet thinks I've made millions of dollars. That is not true,' she admitted to her co-stars and friends.

Days before uncovering her boyfriend-of-nine-years's infidelity, she recalled contacting her team about being low on money.

'It's like, on March 1st, was I financially prepared to move? No,' she said.

'Literally the week before all of this happened, I remember emailing my agent and manager and being like, "Guys, let's start really trying to do some s***, because I'm not in a good place financially."' 

The teaser for the new episode, which airs on Tuesday, March 12, also shows Madix expanding on her financial situation and sharing additional details in a confessional.

'When I first started making decent money, we decided we wanted to buy a house,' she recalled of her and Sandoval's property purchase.

'Then, I was playing catch-up all the way up until Katie and I found a great location for a sandwich shop,' she said about her and Maloney's joint business venture, Something About Her — which is rumored to be now closed. 'Then a bunch of my money went toward that.

'Now I was at a point where in March I was literally on my last $2,000. I am not kidding.'

She explained that she took on so many work opportunities following her split with Sandoval because 

'He created this situation and now I am f***ing scrambling to get my s*** together to be able to — in a financially responsible way — move onto the next step.' 

In a recent episode, Shay grappled with her feelings and losing Sandoval as a friend. 

She recalled he was 'there for me in a time when no one else was' in the past.

When she was 'broke' and 'struggling' during the pandemic, she said Sandoval sent her 'several thousand' dollars.

During a deep conversation with Kent in last week's episode, Shay struggled to hold back tears as she recalled her friendship with Sandoval.

'That's where I'm struggling,' she told Kent. 'That's what I was telling Ariana. I'm like, "Ariana, do you remember in the pandemic when I had no income and I woke up one day to a massive PayPal from Sandoval?"'

She said that, at the time, she 'had no money' and 'had nothing coming in'. 

In a confessional, she elaborated. 'During the pandemic, I woke up to several thousand dollars in my account,' she explained. 'He knew I was struggling at the time. My podcast got canceled. I'm pregnant. I had no income and he was there for me in a time when no one else was.' 

Despite her conflicting feelings, she insisted that she was 'not saying I'm going to be his best friend again'. 'I'm not saying come over for f***ing dinner [and] let me paint your toenails white.

'I'm struggling not forgiving this human who has been there for me,' she added. 

Almost exactly a year ago in March 2023, Madix ended her relationship with Sandoval when she discovered his months-long affair with Leviss.

The former couple had been dating for nearly a decade and bought a $2 million home in Valley Village together in 2019.

Madix currently lives in New York City while she is performing on Broadway, but the pair still reside in the same house.

In early January, she filed a lawsuit and sued him as she wants to sell the home and they do not see eye-to-eye on how to split up the property.

In another twist, Leviss also recently filed a revenge porn lawsuit against both Sandoval and Madix.