Ariana Madix isn’t here for internet trolls. In an Instagram Reel promoting her debut as the host of Love Island’s latest season, the 38-year-old reality star delivered an epic clapback to a critic who took a jab at her body in the post’s comments section.
In the video, the Vanderpump Rules star made a grand entrance to the episode’s underwear-themed party, stepping out in a sheer black LaQuan Smith bodysuit paired with wrap-heeled sandals. Her look garnered tons of praise from her two million Instagram followers, but some criticism didn’t go unnoticed by the Something About Her sandwich shop co-owner.
One comment in particular—”she needs to work on her legs…”—caught Madix’s eye, and her response is making waves on social media.
“I work on my sexy a** legs almost every day,” Madix replied. “I’d snap your neck with my thighs but I’ll never let you close enough to touch me.”
Madix’s bold response reflects her personal journey. The Dancing With the Stars alum has previously opened up about her struggles with an eating disorder on reality TV.
“When I started to gain weight during my recovery, there was a lot of chatter about that—people saying, ‘She’s gained a lot of weight,'” she told Self last October while participating in the dancing competition show. “I feel like people were looking at the version of me that was unhealthy as the baseline and thinking that was healthy, and then everything after was not healthy.
Even right now, this second, I just got a banner notification from Instagram—a comment on my most recent post that says, ‘You’ve gained a lot of weight.’ I’m usually decent about ignoring those, but because I’m holding my phone in my hand and I’m looking at the Zoom screen, it’s literally in my face.”
She went on to share that she was still battling her eating disorder at the time of the interview. “I certainly don’t feel like I am completely healed and on the other side of it,” she continued. “I still have to catch myself sometimes. There’s that voice in my head that’s like, ‘Well, you shouldn’t eat because you’re going to be in a two-piece later.'”
Even so, her confidence shines through. “These days, I am thinking a little bit differently about my body: I’m really grateful for what it’s capable of in terms of endurance and stamina—being able to move and just feel good,” she concluded. “No matter what people say as far as trying to body shame me, I know that I am able to do something that is very physically challenging—even if I didn’t do my best. And I am proud of that.”
