Ariana Madix sets the record straight about her future with the Vanderpump Rules franchise. Amidst speculations about her potential return for Season 12, Madix remains uncertain. 

The reality star recently (April 28) spoke at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California. During her appearance, Madix addressed the fan-fueled theories and how her decision would be based on the show's authenticity. 

"It would have to make sense for me," she declared. "Our show has always thrived, it's always at its best when it is at its most authentic and its most real, and I have to be able to show up and be real and be authentic in order for it to make sense for me." 

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She continued, "So that's the question I would be asking myself going into it." 

The difficult decision comes on the heels of Season 11, which displayed the aftermath of "Scandoval" and her public breakup with ex Tom Sandoval. Although Madix returned to the show, she refused to film scenes with Sandoval. The request did not come as a surprise, as Sandoval, 40, did have an affair with her former friend and castmate Rachel "Raquel" Leviss. 

On the other hand, Sandoval claimed that he initiated the split two weeks before Valentine's Day, suggesting that Madix was in denial about the situation.

"A couple days later, I sit down to talk with her again, and she's like, 'I'm not letting you leave me, you're gonna have to force me out of this relationship,' and I was like, 'Ariana, I don't think I can be faithful in a relationship with you right now,'" he recalled on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast. "She's like, 'If you break up with me, you will be effectively ending my life. I didn't know what to do. She was in complete denial and not accepting it." 

Madix not only has bad blood with her ex-boyfriend but Scheana Shay. In a recent interview with Page Six, Shay gave a status update on their rocky relationship. She mentioned a cordial interaction at Madix's final performance in Chicago on Broadway. However, Shay admitted that the recent reunion taping of Vanderpump Rules didn't contribute to bringing them closer together.

"Things definitely aren't where they were a year ago," she told the outlet. "We didn't really [talk] – I mean, I went with Brock, we said hi after. She was absolutely incredible, but she's a very busy person right now, as am I. I think it's just tough, the position we're all in, and the reunion didn't necessarily help bring us closer together," she added. 

The controversy sparked between the two friends, after Shay expressed her feelings about Sandoval and working on their friendship. With her relationship with Sandoval shattered by betrayal and her dynamic with co-star Scheana Shay currently strained, Madix faces uncertainties both on and off-screen. 

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Despite hopes for reconciliation, tensions linger after the Season 11 reunion, leaving fans wondering if Madix will make a comeback or bid farewell to the reality TV drama altogether. Some Bravoholics believe Madix should leave the show and channel her energy into other projects like her latest book "Single AF Cocktails," while others think the show won't survive without her. Viewers hope she will film with Sandoval if she renews her contract with Bravo. 

Should Madix make a return? Let us know your Fan Of View below. 

Photo Credit: @arianamadix on Instagram.