With a brand-new season of Love Island USA in full swing, the actor and host talks life in the limelight, her style evolution, and what’s on the horizon.

Ariana Madix is no stranger to the spotlight. After years spent on-screen as a fan favorite cast member on Vanderpump Rules, in numerous scripted TV shows, and even a stint on Broadway as Roxie, the iconic star of Chicago, she's become closely acquainted with the feeling of being a sensation. But when she arrived in Fiji for her very first season hosting Love Island USA, something clicked in a different way. 
"When I came to the show, I was hoping that I'd do a good job, but I was also hoping to be able to bring something different and unique. But equally, I wanted to bring myself to it as much as possible, because that's what makes a really great host," Madix tells L'OFFICIEL. For the star, her It-factor is twofold. There's no denying the glamour and endless array of excellent outfits she's sported on set, but on a deeper level, it's her experience on the other side of reality TV that truly allows her to shine. "I can empathize with a lot of what it's like to film," she says. "But also, I hope that I bring an element of fun." 
For years, Love Island has been a beloved reality dating show, first introduced in the U.K. When it eventually expanded to include American and Australian editions, a whole new set of fans hopped on board. But for Love Island USA, the obsession didn't truly sink in until season 6—Madix's first season as the show's host—when viral clips, a particularly lively cast of islanders, and major drama catapulted it to hit status. And as anyone on the Internet across the past year can attest, season 7—which aired last summer—brought it even further to the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist. Madix, for one, was elated to see the surge. 
"It was awesome to see. I had been a fan of it for years, and I would tell people that the show's great, and to see it pop off like that was really cool because there are a lot of people who have been working on the show since season 1. For them to finally get their flowers was really awesome because they're able to put this show on television less than 24 hours after things happen. It's so quick, and not only that, but they make it compelling and beautiful. They have the best music for the best scenes, everything fits together so perfectly, and the art department is sometimes putting together the most insane new challenges in like 12 hours," she says.

Ariana Madix. Photography by Lucio Andreozzi.

As any fan knows, Love Island is all about the unexpected. From challenges to surprise dumpings, the element of surprise is a constant. But for Madix, that environment has also brought on unexpected results in her own life—particularly when it comes to her style. As an industry, a culture, and a mode of personal expression, fashion is all about evolution and experimentation—and that's what Madix appreciates most about it. 
Madix, who was born and raised in Florida, recalls her first experiences with fashion as transformational. As a kid, she attended Catholic school, where she spent the majority of her time in a uniform. As a teenager, she went to a public high school, which opened her eyes to how people express themselves through clothing. 
“It took me a long time to feel confident expressing myself in different ways, but when I look at inspiration for style, I see what Audrey Nuna does, and to me, that’s the most inspirational. It's the coolest style, and it makes me feel much more confident to try new and different things,” Madix says. “For so long, I was living in this world of what works for TV because I was on Vanderpump [Rules] for so long. And what works for TV is very different from maybe what I would necessarily want to wear. Honestly, it’s been more recently that I’ve had more confidence trying new stuff and doing things that are different.”
While Madix’s own style may differ from what audiences see her in on-screen, the power of her Love Island wardrobe has not escaped her. She counts a gold DiPetsa dress—worn for the premiere of season 6—and a “Rainbow Fish-esque dress,” which she wore for the Casa Amor introduction last season, among her favorite looks.
“When I'm living in Love Island world, it's very bright colors, it's seashells and sequins, and it's definitely giving beach, but it's sexy, and I think that's what crosses over with my personal style. My personal style does sometimes live in a sexy realm, but it’s not necessarily the scantily clad version of me that’s on Love Island. When it's just me, I wear a lot of black and a lot of baggy things.”

To be sure, Madix has kept busy over the past few years, between acting as the face of Love Island USA and her stint on Chicago, but in her eyes, this is just the beginning. Back in 2023, she told <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/ariana-madix-on-surviving-heartache-dwts-and-finding-love-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US Weekly</a> that her major life goals were to own a home, star on Broadway, and host a dating show. In just a few years, those aspirations were done and dusted, but in classic Ariana fashion, she’s nowhere near done. “My new goals are to be nominated for an Emmy—I have to put it out there, closed mouths don’t get fed, you know? And then I would love to be on Broadway again, and I want to own a place in New York,” she shares.

For Ariana Madix, the Best is Yet To Come

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