Heavy/Getty Ariana Madix.
Ariana Madix won’t be around for a big weekend at her newly opened sandwich shop, Something About Her.
The “Dancing With the Stars” season 32 alum and her “Vanderpump Rules” co-star Katie Maloney opened the doors to their long-awaited West Hollywood sandwich shop on May 22, 2024, after a three-year planning process. But one week in, Madix will be out of town for one of the biggest weekends for the shop.
In a May 2024 interview with Thrillist, Maloney and Madix talked about how important it was to be open in time for Pride weekend. The 2024 Los Angeles Pride celebration will kick off on May 31- June 2, per the event’s official website. The annual Pride Parade will be held on Sunday, June 9, per LAPride.org.
Maloney told the outlet she will be manning Something About Her as the LGBTQ parade marches down Hollywood Boulevard. “When we picked this date to open, we were like, that’s great, because we’ll be open for Pride,” she said. “We would love to have people stop in during the parade.”
Maloney also told the WeHo Times that she expects continued long lines at the sandwich shop after its impressive opening. “It took us a while to open, but it is so worth it,” she said. “And with this being Memorial Day weekend, it will probably be like this for the next few days. Then we have WeHo Pride coming as well. We are so grateful for the turnout and for all the support.”
But Madix noted she would not be in town for the Pride events. “I will be on a plane, but I’ll be here in spirit,” she told Thrillist, adding, “Katie can Facetime me.”
Lisa Vanderpump Expressed Concern About Ariana Madix’s Commitment to the Sandwich Shop
GettyLisa Vanderpump
Pride Weekend has long been a big part of “Vanderpump Rules.” The cast members previously posed on a float for the parade when they worked for Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, SUR.
But given Madix’s busy schedule, she won’t be around to participate in Pride events for this year. Madix has been booked and busy in the year since her ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval’s shocking cheating scandal. In addition to her DWTS run, she starred in “Chicago” on Broadway and secured a job hosting “Love Island U.S.A.” for this summer.
Vanderpump, who competed on DWTS season 16, previously questioned Madix’s availability for her business venture with Maloney.
During the “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 reunion filmed in March, the two women talked about all of the delays they encountered in opening their sandwich shop. Maloney pointed to “a bunch of red tape and all sorts of issues” with permits required by the West Hollywood city council.
But Vanderpump chimed in to say, “I disagree.”
“I think it was a multitude of disagreements, of Ariana being away,” she said. “You could get through your drain issue and your health [department] issue in a year. If it was just purely the city and the red tape, it wouldn’t take a year to get through that.”
Madix, who spent months in New York City for “Chicago,” insisted she and Madix “never had a disagreement” about her being away.
Ariana Madix Defended Her Multi-Tasking
Madix has long defended her ability to tackle multiple jobs at once. She previously responded to an Instagram commenter after she announced she was going on tour to celebrate the release of her new book, “Single AF Cocktails.”
“Guess the sandwich shop will never open… poor Katie trusting in you,” the commenter wrote to Madix.
Madix responded to her critic with, “Lolling at you thinking I’m incapable of doing more than one thing at a time.”
In May 2024, Madix told E! News that she thrives on keeping herself busy. “The one thing that I’ve learned about myself is that the busier I am, the more I feel I’m capable of handling,” she told the outlet. “It’s those moments when I have too much down time that I start to get antsy and feel like I need more.”
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