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Erika Jayne

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Erika Jayne
Jayne in 2019
Born
Erika Chahoy

(1971-07-10) July 10, 1971 (age 53)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Other namesErika Girardi
Occupations
  • Singer
  • television personality
  • actress
Years active1990–present
TelevisionThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Spouses
  • Thomas Zizzo
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1991; div. 1996)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2000; sep. 2020)​
Children1
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
  • EJ
  • RM
  • Pretty Mess

Erika Girardi (née Chahoy; born July 10, 1971),[1] known professionally as Erika Jayne, is an American singer, television personality and actress.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Erika Girardi was born in Atlanta, Georgia,[3] on July 10, 1971, to single mother Renee Chahoy.[4] Her father left when Erika was 9 months old. She graduated from North Atlanta High School. At 18, she moved to New York City.[5]

Career

[edit]

Acting and reality television

[edit]

Her first two uncredited on-screen appearances were on the first season of NBC's legal drama series Law & Order as the first murder victim Suzanne Morton in the pilot episode "Prescription for Death" and as Tim Pruiting's girlfriend in "The Violence of Summer".[6] She also had roles in independent films Alchemy (1995) and Lowball (1996).[7][8]

In 2015, she joined the cast of Bravo's reality television show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for the show's sixth season.[9] The New York Times estimated that she earned more than $600,000 for the show's 11th season in 2021.[10]

In December 2016, she guest starred on The Young and the Restless with her former Real Housewives cast member Eileen Davidson, who plays Ashley Abbott on the show. She returned as real estate agent Farrah Dubose for one episode in 2017 and two in 2018.[11]

In 2017, she competed on season 24 of Dancing with the Stars. She and her partner, Gleb Savchenko, were eliminated in week five.[12]

She was a red carpet host for the American Music Awards in 2017[13] and 2018.[14] She co-hosted the pre-show for the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.[15]

In 2018, she competed on Lip Sync Battle. She lost to Taye Diggs.[16]

In 2019, she was cast as Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of Chicago. She debuted on January 6, 2020, at the Ambassador Theater and was due to stay with the show until March 29. Due to COVID-19, production was shut down and her last performance was March 11.[17]

In March 2024, Bravo aired a two-part documentary, Erika Jayne: Bet It All on Blonde, focusing on her 2023 residency at the House of Blues Music Hall in the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.[18] In the documentary, she said she had contemplated suicide during the darkest days of her legal struggles. "I thought about killing myself many times," she said, adding that her son talked her out of it.[19]

Music

[edit]

According to her autobiography, Pretty Mess, music producer Peter Rafelson came up with the idea of changing her name to "Erika Jayne."[20] Jayne's first single, "Roller Coaster" was released on January 1, 2007. The song placed at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Jayne's debut album, Pretty Mess, was released in the United States in August 2009.[21] She released several standalone singles from 2010 to 2018, including number one singles "Painkillr" and "How Many Fucks."

Throughout her music career, Jayne has performed at several gay nightclubs and LGBT pride events, including LA Pride. In 2018, she embarked on her first headlining concert tour, Erika Jayne Presents: The Pretty Mess Tour, visiting 13 cities across the United States. In April 2023, she announced Bet It All on Blonde, a Las Vegas concert residency at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay[22] that ran select weekends from August to December 2023.[23]

[edit]

While living in New York, she met Thomas Zizzo,[24] who was working as a DJ at a club in Manhattan. The couple married in December 1991 at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Soon thereafter she gave birth to a son, Thomas Zizzo Jr. He is a police officer in Los Angeles.[25] After the couple divorced in 1996, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.[26]

In January 2000, she married Los Angeles personal-injury attorney Thomas Girardi, who was 33 years older than her and already twice divorced. They met in 1998 when she was working as a cocktail waitress at Chasen's, a Los Angeles restaurant where he was a regular.[27][28] He was known for helping win the trial that made Erin Brockovich into a household name.[10]

In November 2020, she announced her separation from Girardi and filed for divorce.[29] One month after the divorce announcement, the couple were named in a lawsuit for allegedly embezzling funds meant for families of the victims of the fatal 2018 Lion Air plane crash.[30][31] Media outlets reported that the divorce could be a "sham" to hide assets.[32] In December 2020, a Chicago-based law firm asked a federal judge to order Jayne to stop selling designer clothing online amid an effort to recover $2 million in money owed to clients.[33]

On December 17, 2020, a Los Angeles Times article alleged that Tom Girardi "stole millions of dollars from vulnerable clients," and improperly funneled more than $20 million of victims' compensation to EJ Global, a company set up to finance Jayne’s entertainment and singing career.[34] A documentary about the couple's highly publicized legal troubles titled The Housewife and the Hustler was released on Hulu on June 14, 2021.[35] A sequel, The Housewife and the Hustler 2: The Reckoning, featuring Jayne meeting with victims of Girardi's, was released in February 2024.[36] On August 31, 2022, a judge ruled in a $5 million civil fraud lawsuit that the plaintiffs could not prove Jayne had knowledge of or involvement in the alleged fraud.[37]

Discography

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As lead artist

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Studio albums
Title Album details
Pretty Mess
Singles
Year Single Album Peaks Ref.
US
Dance
Club
[38] 		US
Dance/
Elec.
[39] 		US
Global
Dance
[40]
2007 "Roller Coaster" Pretty Mess 1 — — [41]
"Stars" 1 — 33 [42]
2009 "Give You Everything" 1 — 16 [43]
2010 "Pretty Mess" 1 — 19 [44]
"One Hot Pleasure" Non-album singles 1 — 24 [45]
2011 "Party People (Ignite the World)" 1 — 25 [46]
2013 "Get It Tonight" (featuring Flo Rida) — 20 — [47]
2014 "Painkillr" 1 25 — [48]
"You Make Me Wanna Dance" — — — [49]
2015 "Crazy" (featuring Maino) 1 — — [50]
2016 "How Many Fucks" 1 — — [51]
2017 "Xxpensive" — — — [52]
2018 "Cars" — — — [53]
2023 "Drip Drop" — — — [54]
2024 "Bounce" — — — [55]
"—" denotes a title that did not appear on the respective chart.
[edit]
Year Title Album Ref.
2019 "Drip" (Brooke Candy) Sexorcism [56]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Erika Jayne". BBC. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  2. ^ Agard, Chancellor (December 15, 2015). "Newest Beverly Hills Housewives Erika Girardi Teases Run-In with Bethenny Frankel: She 'Kind of Let Me Have It'". People. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  3. ^ Collar, Matt. "Erika Jayne Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Erika Girardi Hopes Her Relationship with Her Mom Is Something People 'Will Be Able to Relate To'". Bravo. March 8, 2017. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017. [better source needed]
  5. ^ "Erika Girardi on Painful Past — and Realizing She Was in a 'Wealthy Coma' After Marriage". people.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Erika Jayne's 'Pretty Mess': 7 Revelations From 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Star's Memoir". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "Low Ball (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  8. ^ "Alchemy (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  9. ^ "A conversation with 'Real Housewives' star Erika Girardi, our latest reality TV obsession". Los Angeles Times. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Goldstein, Matthew; Rosman, Katherine (October 9, 2021). "The Real Trials of a 'Real Housewife'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Get Ready, Genoa City: Erika Girardi Is Returning to The Young and the Restless in a Major Way!". E! Online. May 2, 2018. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "DWTS: Erika Girardi Eliminated, Was Broken Before Final Breakthrough Performance". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "Erika Jayne Slayed the American Music Awards Looking Ultra Glam and Chatting with A-Listers ... and We Still Haven't Recovered". Bravo TV Official Site. November 20, 2017. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Glicksman, Josh (October 4, 2018). "Jessie James Decker, Erika Jayne & More to Host 2018 American Music Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  15. ^ "Erika Jayne Got Revenge on Andy Cohen at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards". Bravo TV Official Site. May 21, 2018. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "Has the "Very Cool" Erika Jayne Forgiven Taye Diggs?". Bravo TV Official Site. February 20, 2018. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  17. ^ "Erika Jayne On Stage". New York Theatre Guide. March 28, 2024. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Donnelly, Matt (November 5, 2023). "Bravo Sets Two-Part Erika Jayne Doc 'Bet It All on Blonde': Watch Tense First Trailer". Variety. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  19. ^ "Erika Girardi Reveals She Contemplated Suicide 'Many Times' During Tom Girardi's Legal Troubles". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "Erika Jayne's 'Pretty Mess': 7 Revelations From 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Star's Memoir Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  21. ^ "Spotlight On Erika Jayne". Billboard. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  22. ^ "Erika Jayne Announces Las Vegas Residency". Paper Magazine. April 19, 2023. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  23. ^ Gray, Mark. "'RHOBH' Star Erika Jayne Kicks Off Provocative Las Vegas Residency: 'It's a New Life'". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  24. ^ Cardoza, Riley (May 5, 2020). "Erika Jayne Shares Rare Pic of Son Tommy: 'People Say We Look Alike'". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  25. ^ Slater, Georgia. "RHOBH's Erika Girardi Defends Son Who Is a Cop on Social Media: 'His Job Is to Protect All'". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  26. ^ "Erika Girardi Biography". Bravo. Bravo TV. 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  27. ^ "RHOBH: A Look Into Erika Jayne's 'Unconventional' Marriage With Thomas Girardi". ScreenRant. November 13, 2020. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  28. ^ "A Timeline of Erika & Tom Girardi's Relationship, from Friendship to Fame to a Surprise Split". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  29. ^ Sobol, Beth; Williams, Amanda (November 3, 2020). "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi Break Up After 21 Years Together". E! Online. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  30. ^ "Judge freezes assets of famed L.A. lawyer Tom Girardi, citing millions unpaid to clients". Los Angeles Times. December 14, 2020. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  31. ^ Tom Girardi sued by Indonesia's Lion air crash families over claims US lawyer embezzled millions of their settlement funds Archived July 13, 2021, at the Wayback Machine ABC News, June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  32. ^ Yasharoff, Hannah. "Erika Jayne, Tom Girardi accused of 'sham' divorce announcement to hide from embezzlement lawsuit". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  33. ^ Seidel, Jon (December 18, 2020). "Chicago law firm wants contempt order enforced against Erika Jayne of 'Real Housewives'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  34. ^ "The legal titan and the 'Real Housewife': The rise and fall of Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne". Los Angeles Times. December 17, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  35. ^ "Erika and Tom Girardi's Legal Troubles Examined in The Housewife and the Hustler: Biggest Moments". People. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  36. ^ "L.A. Times Studios and ABC News Studios Announce 'The Housewife and the Hustler 2: The Reckoning' Documentary". Los Angeles Times. January 31, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  37. ^ "'Real Housewives' star Erika Jayne wins Tom Girardi fraud lawsuit". Los Angeles Times. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  38. ^ "Erika Jayne Dance Club Songs Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  39. ^ "Erika Jayne Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  40. ^ "Chart Search | Billboard". billboard.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  41. ^ "Roller Coaster - track". Muso.AI. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  42. ^ "Stars - Original Version - track". Muso.AI. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  43. ^ Erika Jayne – Give You Everything, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  44. ^ Erika Jayne – Pretty Mess, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  45. ^ Erika Jayne – One Hot Pleasure, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  46. ^ "Party People (Ignite the World) - Original Extended - track". Muso.AI. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  47. ^ Erika Jayne (Ft. Flo Rida) – Get It Tonight, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  48. ^ "Painkillr - track". Muso.AI. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  49. ^ Erika Jayne – You Make Me Wanna Dance, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  50. ^ Erika Jayne (Ft. Maino) – Crazy, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  51. ^ Erika Jayne – How Many Fucks?, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  52. ^ Erika Jayne – XXPEN$IVE, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  53. ^ "Cars - track". Muso.AI. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  54. ^ Erika Jayne – Drip Drop, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  55. ^ Erika Jayne – Bounce, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
  56. ^ Brooke Candy (Ft. Erika Jayne) – Drip, archived from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
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