Scheana Shay is not sugarcoating the current state of her friendship with Ariana Madix.
“Things definitely aren’t where they were a year ago,” the “Vanderpump Rules” star exclusively tells Page Six while promoting her partnership with Smirnoff ICE’s “Surpr-ICEs” campaign at this year’s Coachella music festival in Indio, Calif.
However, she notes that she and husband Brock Davies were present at Madix’s final April 7 performance in Broadway’s “Chicago.”
“We didn’t really [talk] — I mean, I went with Brock, we said hi after,” says Shay, 38, suggesting that she and Madix, also 38, didn’t interact much before or after the theatrical production in New York City.
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“She was absolutely incredible, but she’s a very busy person right now, as am I.”
Shay is optimistic that she and Madix “can reconnect” when the actress returns to the West Coast after playing Roxie Hart on the Great White Way — even if they clashed during the March 16 “Vanderpump Rules” Season 11 reunion taping.
“I think it’s just tough, the position we’re all in and the reunion didn’t necessarily help bring us closer together,” she divulges. “I can say that.”
The current installment of “Pump Rules” has seen Shay unpack her complicated feelings about potentially moving forward in her friendship with Tom Sandoval — after he cheated on Madix with their now-former castmate Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
While Madix and Shay have been close for years, the latter has explained on the show that her bond with Sandoval, 41 — whom she distanced herself from in the wake of his infidelity scandal — also goes way back, underlined by a generous financial gift he gave the “Good as Gold” singer when she was struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Madix said on a March “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” appearance that she was disappointed in Shay’s remarks about the situation.
“During the time of filming, I definitely was not aware of a lot of the things that were being said behind my back. And I love Scheana dearly, but a lot of things that were said are very hurtful,” she said on the late-night talk show.
“Specifically, it’s hard to pinpoint something. It’s just kind of this general attitude towards me that I’ve been seeing that’s pretty hurtful.”
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ENTER HEREBut Shay tells Page Six that she still has lots of love for Madix — and is confident that they can repair their fractured dynamic.
“Look, we are a very resilient group. We’ve come back from a lot. I feel like things that have happened over the past year hit differently than anything that’s ever hit this group,” she says.
“But never say never. I think right now we all just kind of need some time and space to just focus on our own careers and families. Hopefully, there’s a Season 12, we all come back together and you see the rest of it then.”
For now, though, Shay is ecstatic that Madix bought a new $1.6 million abode in the Hollywood Hills, an oasis that the “Love Island USA” host can retreat to without the fear of running into ex Sandoval in the kitchen of their shared Valley Village house.
“A nice little spot in the Hollywood Hills, I think it’s perfect for her,” she enthuses. “I think it’s very much her vibe and I’m happy that she’ll be out of sharing a roof with Tom Sandoval.”
Shay, meanwhile, purchased a new $2.5 million place of her own in Los Angeles’ Sherman Oaks neighborhood, located in the San Fernando Valley — the backdrop of Bravo’s “Pump Rules” spinoff “The Valley.”
The mom of one — who shares daughter Summer Moon, 2, with Davies — is quick to shut down online speculation that she and co-star Lala Kent each moved to the area to secure a spot on the new unscripted series, starring Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright and Kristen Doute, among other notable “VPR” alums.
“I just want to make it clear we didn’t buy houses in the valley to try and hop on a different show,” says the Bravolebrity, who made a cameo with Kent, 33, in the premiere episode of “The Valley” as she they are both close with the majority of the cast.
“It’s just the best place to buy in LA when you have a family.”
Still, Shay would “love to do both shows,” she says.
“I think the crossovers are really fun. I hope ‘Vanderpump Rules’ continues for many years,” she emphasizes. “But I think it makes sense for us to do more crossovers, I think it’s only natural. This is our friend group.”
While she’s on a break from filming, Shay is relishing in the things that make her happy — like attending Coachella with a Smirnoff ICE in hand.
“Smirnoff and I go all the way back to college! I have been a fan of Smirnoff for so long, so getting to partner with this brand is literally a dream come true,” says the star, who will be attending a pop-up brand event at Coachella — featuring a secret set by Jaden Smith — this weekend.
“It just goes very deep for me, my love for this brand. I’m excited to bring it to one of my favorite festivals.”
“Vanderpump Rules” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
