Ariana Madix Shares an Update on Her Long-Distance Relationship with Daniel Wai: "I Don't Love It"

The Vanderpump Rules alum also shed new light on her boyfriend's diverse career background.

Although her relationship is still going strong, Ariana Madix might be ready for the “move-in” conversation.

The Vanderpump Rules alum addressed the topic during a recent episode of Disrespectfully, a popular podcast series co-hosted by her former castmates Katie Maloney and Dayna Kathan. Around the 40-minute mark, the trio began discussing Ariana’s romance with NYC fitness trainer Daniel Wai and how the couple managed to stay together despite living on opposite coasts.

“I don’t love it,” she said about the long-distance situation. “The idea of it, I don’t love long-term.”

Have Ariana Madix and Daniel Wai discussed moving in together?

Ariana began dating Daniel in 2023 after her shocking breakup with Vanderpump Rules alum Tom Sandoval. Since then, Ariana and Daniel have found ways to navigate their unique situation that often finds Ariana traveling for work-related reasons. In addition to owning a West Hollywood sandwich shop with Katie, Ariana has also had multiple stints on Broadway and hosts Love Island USA in Fiji.

The former SUR bartender said she and Daniel have learned to make their long-distance relationship work; however, she confessed it might be time to take the next step and move in together.

“I feel like two years is, it’s getting to a point where it’s like, ‘OK, now we’re really going to,’” she said about potentially shacking up. “Then I’m in Fiji for two months, or I’m in New York for four or five months. It’s like, well… we might as well wait to talk about that.”

Ariana Madix reveals the upsides of her long-distance relationship

Daniel posts a photo of himself and Ariana on February 26, 2025 to his Instagram. Photo: Daniel Wai/Instagram

Although the long-distance relationship has its cons, Ariana said it has also pushed her and Daniel to really make time for one another. 

“What’s good about long distance is that it really forces you to talk to each other because you can’t just hang out and watch a movie or go to a bar and make out. You have to have conversations," she explained. "I think that’s really helped us build our communication from the beginning. What he’s really good about is making sure that there’s always a date.”

She continued: “We have phone dates and stuff where we’ll pick a recipe and we both order the (ingredients) and we make it together and then sit and eat together and watch shows… He makes sure we have dates while we’re apart, as well.”

Ariana Madix sheds light on Daniel Wai's career background

Daniel Wai and Ariana Madix attend Heineken House at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2025 in Coachella, California. Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

Daniel was introduced to Bravo viewers in Vanderpump Rules Season 11, making a few appearances here and there. Although fans got a bit of insight into Daniel's background and personality, Ariana said there are a lot of things the public doesn’t know about him, specifically when it comes to his career.

“I feel like when I try to think of what people don’t know [about Daniel], I think people maybe don’t know just how many things he does work-wise,” she said, before Katie referred to Daniel as “so smart.”

“He’s really smart,” Ariana said, adding that her beau received a computer science degree from Virginia Tech. “He was in software engineering, and he would consult for all these different things. And then he just didn’t feel fulfilled. He was getting into fitness on his own, and then he was like, ‘I really want to do this with my life.’ And he started doing that. And now he, obviously, has this really successful training business.”

In addition to his fitness career, Daniel also bartends twice a week at the Little More bar in NYC.

“It’s incredible because when we first started dating… I mean, he’s still super successful, but I was not,” Ariana said. “And so now I feel we’ve evened out, and it’s nice because he’s super supportive of my endeavors. And I’m very supportive [of his]. Guys, go to Little More in Tribeca. It’s great. So yeah, he’s just really hardworking and super dedicated to whatever it is that he does: our relationship, his job, all the stuff. And when he comes in town, he fixes things in my house.”

Get a closer look at Ariana and Daniel's relationship, including their recent trip to Coachella.