Heavy/ABC Ariana Madix.
Scheana Shay apologized for comments she made about Ariana Madix joining “Dancing With the Stars” for season 32.
Speaking on her “Scheananagins With Scheana Shay” podcast in March 2024, Shay addressed the snarky remark she made about Madix in the “Vanderpump Rules” episode “Written in the Stars.” After telling Lisa Vanderpump it was “kind of a punch to the gut” to find out that Madix had landed a spot on DWTS, Shay noted how “far” Madix has come since performing as a backup dancer for her during a show at The Roxy a decade ago. A flashback clip of Madix dancing behind her then appeared onscreen.
“I literally meant this as a joke, I did not mean shade,” Shay clarified on her podcast. “I feel often at times when I tend to be self-deprecating it’s not received well and it doesn’t land. And I always look for opportunities where the show can do flashbacks. And I think that’s one thing that I’ve been really good about in my now 11 seasons on the show is just bringing up moments where you can look back because it’s always fun to see a flashback. So, there was no shade meant by that.”
“Ariana is an incredible dancer as we all saw on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’” Shay continued. “That’s why I asked her to be part to be part of my Roxy show to begin with, because I knew she would elevate the performance. And there is no way in hell I would have wanted to compete against her on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ So, I just want to put that out there. That was not meant to be shade and I’m sorry that it came out that way.”
Scheana Shay Admitted She Was ‘Hurt’ To be One of the Last People To Hear Ariana Madix’s DWTS News
Madix’s DWTS cast announcement was made official in July 2023 just as filming for “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 began. At the time, People magazine confirmed that the bar star was the first official celebrity announced for the 32nd season of the ABC ballroom competition. The big news came four months after Madix’s ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval’s headline-making cheating scandal brought her an onslaught of fan support.
On “Vanderpump Rules,” Shay told Lisa Vanderpump she heard the DWTS casting news from Madix’s boyfriend Daniel Wai. She admitted she was taken aback that Madix hadn’t told her herself.
When asked on her podcast for her reaction when she heard Madix was cast on “Dancing With the Stars,” Shay said, “That was my genuine emotion in the moment. And as cringe as I might be sometimes, I don’t ever regret sharing, that is literally my job here. But yeah, I felt in that moment knowing that other people knew about ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and I was one of the last to find out it just hurt my feelings. Because if there was an NDA, but other people knew then why didn’t I know?”
Shay noted that she is in a good place with her “booked and busy” friend. “I’m not taking it personal that I don’t hear from her as much,” she said of Madix. “If I check in I usually will hear back and if I don’t I know it’s because she’s busy.”
Ariana Madix Was ‘Hurt’ By Some Things Scheana Shay Said About Her
Madix, who landed in third place with pro dancer Pasha Pashkov on DWTS season 32, addressed Shay saying DWTS was her “dream.”
“I mean on one hand I can totally understand being happy for a friend while also feeling like, oh you did really want this thing for yourself,” Madix said on “Watch What Happens Live” on March 12, 2024. “But on the other hand, my thought process is that, if one person from our show gets on it, wouldn’t that help someone else from our show get on it? So you know what’s good for the goose is good for the gander and that’s kind of where I’m at with that.”
Madix also admitted that she did think some of Shay’s on-camera comments about her were hurtful.
“During the time of filming I definitely was not aware of a lot of the things that were being said behind my back,” Madix said on WWHL. “And I love Scheana dearly, but a lot of things that were said are very hurtful. Specifically, it’s hard to pinpoint something, it’s just kind of like this general attitude towards me that I’ve been seeing that’s pretty hurtful.”
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