There are no winners when it comes to breakups—except perhaps in the case of Ariana Madix and Daniel Wai. While the world is still watching Scandoval (the biggest American cheating scandal since JFK and Marilyn) unfold in the final episodes of Vanderpump Rules season 10, Madix has been spending time with someone new, the extremely hunky Wai.
Madix and Tom Sandoval had been together for nearly a decade when she discovered that he’d been having a months-long affair with Raquel Leviss, who Madix had considered one of her closest friends. Luckily, Madix and karma vibe like that, because it would only be a couple of weeks before she met her new man. Here’s how it all went down between Ariana Madix and Daniel Wai.
March 1, 2023: Madix discovers her boyfriend of nine years, Tom Sandoval, has been having an affair with their costar and friend, Raquel Leviss. You can read all about Scandoval here.
March 10-12, 2023: Madix reportedly meets Wai at a mutual friend’s wedding, according to a source that spoke to People. At first, it looked like just a light rebound fling but they “have a special bond,” the source tells the publication in May. “Even though he lives in New York City, they’ve been able to make it work.”
April 16, 2023: Madix and Wai are first spotted together at Coachella. Not only does Wai share multiple photos with the reality star on his Instagram story, but the pair are also seen locking lips during Bad Bunny’s set.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
April 18, 2023: Madix is photographed kissing the personal trainer while dropping him off at LAX airport. Meanwhile, Tom Sandoval is asked how he feels about Madix’s Coachella hookup. “I love that,” he tells TMZ.
