LOS ANGELES — Ariana Madix, caught in the messiness of "Scandoval," recently packed up her belongings and moved out of the house she shares with ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval — or did she?
On Monday, a number of outlets shared photos of the "Vanderpump Rules" star walking out of her Los Angeles home with moving boxes in tow. Madix also shared a selfie with the boxes, writing on Instagram that she was "Ready to dip out."
What seemed to be the TV personality's latest effort to move on from the cheating scandal — also involving Sandoval and "Vanderpump" co-star Raquel Leviss — turned out to be a stunt for a brand partnership.
"I'm moving up, not out. Well not yet at least," she reportedly said on Instagram after the photos made the internet rounds. "It's time to get my financial house in order. I will have more to share with you very, very soon."
A day after the speculation, Madix shared that she had partnered with SoFi, "the bank that's got my back." In the video, she said SoFi and financial planner Brian "Dr. Money" Walsh helped her create a plan to "move forward financially."
"We're all on Team Ariana," Walsh says.
A source familiar with the partnership told The Times the bank is helping "Madix move on, not out." Madix also confirmed this with The Times in a far-ranging interview published Wednesday.
In its own Instagram post, SoFi also leaned into the "Vanderpump Rules" controversy as Walsh came up with a solution for when "your partner cheats on you with your best friend?"
"You have a house together, you have cocktail book royalties together. It's clearly time to move on," he says.
Walsh explains how he helped a "friend" (read: Madix) take control of her money.
He continues: "If you have a scandov— I mean, scandal of your own, hit the link in bio to get your own complimentary money advice from a SoFi financial planner."
Looking back on Madix's initial photos, it's clear some kind of brand partnership was afoot. The moving boxes are labeled "finances." The blue sweater reads "SoFi" and features the bank's logo.
In March, People reported that Sandoval, 39, and Madix, 37, had split after nine years together. At the center of their breakup was Sandoval's alleged affair with Leviss, 28.
The cheating allegations went viral on social media and have since surrounded "Vanderpump Rules" in a layer of controversy and (more than the usual amount of) drama. "Scandoval" has also made its way into the show's three-part "Vanderpump" reunion, which will begin airing Wednesday on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET.
It's not the first time Madix has seemingly channeled "Scandoval" into her brand partnerships. Earlier this month, Madix said on Instagram she was "finally breaking my silence about what's been clogging up my life lately..."
"It just feels like every day, something was blocking me from living the life I deserve. And I can't lie, it's been kinda rough," she says in a video — which turns out to be an ad for Bic razors.
While Madix and Sandoval have been exes for a couple of months now, they still live in the same home, she told The Times. She said they "don't cross paths" as they stay in separate rooms and "communicate with a third party."
"I pay a hefty mortgage. We are 50/50 on that. And I'm not going to shell out more money because of someone else's s—," she said. "And I have my dog and my cat and I'm not gonna leave them there by themselves."
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(L.A. Times staff writer Yvonne Villarreal contributed to this report.)
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