Ariana Says Someone Needs To "Save Ann" From Her Job As Tom's Assistant on 'Vanderpump Rules'

There are a lot of things about Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval's breakup that left fans scratching their heads. One of them is the fact that the exes remained under the same roof following Tom's cheating scandal, known by everyone now as "Scandoval." Another thing that sets their breakup apart from most is that they tend to communicate through Tom's assistant, Ann Maddox.

And in the March 26 episode of Vanderpump Rules, when Ann straight up asks to be considered for the role of Ariana's assistant, we see another potential line being crossed. To be fair, Ariana says that she doesn't want Tom to feel like she "poached" his assistant, but Ariana also doesn't say no to the possibility of Ann jumping the Sandoval ship and being Team Ariana. That being said, viewers want to know if Ann is now Ariana's assistant after all.

During the first few minutes of the Vanderpump Rules episode, Ariana calls Ann to discuss a few things with her. One thing she wants to talk about is, of course, Tom. But another thing is the hope that Ann has some recommendations for assistants since Ariana finds herself in need of one. Immediately, Ann asks if she can "be in the running."

Ariana laughs and says that she can. However, Ariana also wants to tread lightly so Tom doesn't see Ariana "stealing" Ann as an attack on him. Ariana tells producers that she thinks someone needs to "save Ann" and even jokes about a hashtag for saving Ann from working for Tom, who seems to assign his assistant with a wide range of tasks, from talking to his ex for him to cleaning up the morning after a party.

Outside of the show, neither Ann or Ariana have revealed if Ann works for Ariana now. In the March 12 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Ariana shared that, at that time, she hadn't hired Ann. However, she teased, "There will be some developments."

If Ann were to make the shift and work for Ariana instead of Tom, it would likely be a move that Ann carefully considers. She had worked for him for years before Scandoval happened. According to Ann's LinkedIn, she began working as Tom's assistant in 2020. Before that, she worked for another unnamed celebrity. So for her to leave the position, she likely wouldn't do it if she hadn't considered it from every angle.

In January 2024, when Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval both appeared on The Viall Files podcast, Schwartz claimed that Ann had recently resigned from her job as Sandoval's assistant. When Distractify spoke with Ann shortly after that podcast episode dropped, she couldn't confirm if she had indeed resigned from her position as Sandoval's assistant.

But with a podcast and acting career keeping her busy otherwise, we wouldn't be surprised if Ann plans to step back from being a celebrity assistant altogether.

Watch Vanderpump Rules on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.