Credit: Todd Williamson/Bravo
Ariana Madix and Lisa Vanderpump attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, where they addressed the ongoing buzz surrounding “Scandoval” — a hot topic at the event — and teased the upcoming Vanderpump Rules reunion.
Before Ariana shared what she’s learned from ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval‘s sordid affair with their co-star and friend, Raquel Leviss, and Lisa shared what fans can expect from the reunion special, the ladies gushed over their experiences at the event.
“I have been to Capitol Hill before, to talk on animal rights and pass a resolution, but this is just a celebration for us,” Lisa told Extra TV. “I think just… doing something that we’ve never done before. It’s such an iconic dinner, and for Daily Mail to invite us, it just really is a very special night — something you hear about… It kind of really is magical.”
“I am thrilled to be here! Daily Mail invited us, and Lisa’s like my fairy godmother. I am just excited to be here tonight,” Ariana added. “I’m just so excited to be here have a really wonderful night with Lisa and just really enjoy ourselves on our trip.”
When they were then asked if they had any questions for President Joe Biden, Ariana joked that she’d ask him “what his favorite color is.”
“Get low stakes on that first question,” she reasoned as Lisa weighed in.
“Well, I think there’s so many issues I’ve stood up for over the years,” she replied. “LGBT issues, there are things that I would really like to talk to him about. I have met him before and we met Jill today, so that was pretty amazing. But I suppose animal rights, going back to Capitol Hill to talk about that, and I think there’s part of me that would really like to talk about conversion therapy on the LGBTQIA youth… talk about moving forward.”
After touring the White House, Lisa described the presidential residence as “unbelievable.”
“It was such a spectacular experience just going seeing everything,” she proclaimed, saying that being in The Oval Office was a stand-out moment.
“The Oval Office — huge highlight!” Ariana agreed. “The Cabinet Room, that was really, really incredible, just being able to be there, the history that is there, all of the incredible moments over the years, seeing all the First Lady portraits that Dr. Biden has worked so tirelessly to have displayed in the White House. I mean, that was really, really incredible.”
Moving on to the Pump Rules reunion, Lisa said it’s “going to be very long.”
“Normally, the maximum they do is three. I think they could do three, four weeks of it there’s so much stuff that goes down,” Lisa teased. “It was a very complicated situation. We don’t want to talk about that tonight, but… there was a lot of feelings that needed to be worked out so, yes, you want to see the end of that story.”
“I can’t say it’s the end of that story. Maybe it’s just the beginning of another one but… it’s complicated,” she added.
During another interview, Lisa spoke highly of the success her series has seen.
“Normally, the magic of this show is the ups and the downs… the authenticity of the show,” Lisa told Entertainment Tonight. “When people talk about their real lives and their feelings, it’s what keeps people engaged.”
“There’s a lot of people that have tried to mimic us and tried to create shows but without the authenticity of real friendship,” she continued. “That’s why it hurts, that’s why people bleed for Ariana. Because they were invested in real relationships, and that’s what people are talking about.”
Although the show is expected to return for an 11th season, although it is not yet official, Lisa admitted that it’s currently “a mess” as a number of cast members, including Scheana Shay, refuse to film with Sandoval and Raquel.
“Right now it’s a mess. I don’t know if we can sort it out,” she shared.
And while Ariana was certainly left devastated by Sandoval’s betrayal, she’s also learned from the scandal.
“[I’ve learned] that I can do anything,” she said. “I can handle anything.”
Ariana also told Extra the support she’s received from fans has been “amazing.”
Vanderpump Rules season 10 airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.