Heavy/Pixabay The "Vanderpump Rules" alum gave fans an update.
A former Bravo star revealed that she’s back in the corporate world – and has no regrets about it. In a July 2023 interview, former “Vanderpump Rules” star Dayna Kathan revealed why she went back to a regular job in medical sales after a one-year stint on the Bravo reality show.
Kathan explained that she never planned to end up on reality TV.
“I was working in healthcare sales which is what I’m still doing now like I had no intentions on being on television,” Kathan, 33, revealed on the “Scheananagins With Scheana Shay” podcast. “I did not come to LA being like ‘I wanna be on a reality TV show.’ That was not it. It truly found me, and so I ended up going with it though because I was doing stand-up comedy at the time, and I had been doing this really serious healthcare sales career my whole adult life.”
Here’s what else you need to know:
Dayna Kathan Explained Why She Joined ‘Vanderpump Rules’ – and Why She Left
GettyVanderpump Rules cast members Brett Caprioni, Dayna Kathan, Tom Sandoval, Lala Kent, James Mae, Co-Founder Kristen Doute, Max Boyens, Ariana Madix, Tom Schwartz, Scheana Shay, Brittanny Cartwright and Jax Taylor
While speaking with Shay, Kathan revealed that after college she went right into the workforce, unlike some of her friends with took “gap years” to have fun. “Because of circumstances in my personal life that happened to me right when I graduated, I just had to be really serious,” she said. “So, I just kind of jumped into this career track.”
She added that when an offer for “Vanderpump Rules” became available to her at age 28, she took a hard look at her life.
“I was like what else is there?” she told Shay. “Like, is this all it’s ever going to be for me, that I’m just doing this very nine-to-five corporate job, never really done anything else, or should I take a chance and do the show? So I ended up doing it, but in doing that I lost the job that I had been doing and at that time I also lost my health insurance because of it.”
While she did enjoy the fame that came with reality TV, Kathan admitted that she wondered what toll it would take on her “real” career. She decided to reevaluate things and questioned if she “ruined” everything she had worked so hard for in her sales career just to be on a reality show. When the pandemic hit and production on the Bravo reality show shut down, she began a new job search.
“When I really reevaluated, I decided to start looking for jobs in my chosen industry and got back into that,” Kathan said. “That was December of 2020, when I was talking to Bravo and Evolution about if I was going to come back and I was just like ‘I can’t do this.’”
Kathan explained that when a person starts out in reality TV they are paid very little because they have to “earn” their keep on the show over time. “They basically wanted me to come back again not making anything, and I’m like ‘look, I’m not being a diva I burned through my entire life savings during Covid and I’ve been unemployed trying to find work for a year. I can’t just keep doing this.’”
In April 2021, Kathan confirmed to E! News that she was exiting “Vanderpump Rules” after just one season. “It was a tough decision for me but ultimately the right one. I’m grateful for the experience and wish everyone on the show all the best!” she said at the time.
Dayna Kathan Works as a National Sales Manager Today
GettyDayna Kathan
When “Vanderpump Rules” fans first met Kathan in 2019, she worked as a hostess at TomTom, the West Hollywood restaurant Lisa Vanderpump co-owns with co-stars Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval. Kathan was later moved over to SUR, which has served as the hub of the reality show since 2013.
When she was a reality star, Kathan had a few side endeavors. Fans got a glimpse at one of her stand-up comedy gigs during the eighth season of “Vanderpump Rules.” She also previously had a podcast, titled “Unf***able,” but she hasn’t dropped a new episode since February 2021.
According to her bio on the Medication Review website, Kathan now works as a national sales manager after first starting out in the healthcare sales business in medical device and spine sales. She then became a top performer in capital equipment sales.
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