Erika Jayne
Erika Girardi (née Chahoy; born July 10, 1971),[1] known professionally as Erika Jayne, is an American singer, television personality and actress.[2]
Erika Jayne | |
|---|---|
Jayne in 2019 | |
| Born | Erika Chahoy July 10, 1971 |
| Other names | Erika Girardi |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Television | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Labels |
|
| Website | erikajayne |
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 on-screen appearances were (uncredited) murder victim Suzanne Morton in the episode "Prescription for Death" and Tim Pruiting's (uncredited) girlfriend in "The Violence of Summer" in the first season of NBC's legal drama series Law & Order.[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 2021 season.[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 Billboard Music Awards in 2018.[15]
In 2018, she competed on Lip Sync Battle. She lost to Taye Diggs.[16]
In 2019, she was cast as Roxie Hart in a Broadway production of Chicago. She opened 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]
Personal life and legal issues 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 edit
As lead artist edit
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Pretty Mess |
|
| Year | Single | Album | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Peaks | Ref. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance Club [38] | US Dance/ Elec. [39] | US Global Dance [40] | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | "Roller Coaster" | Pretty Mess | Peter Rafelson, Eric Kupper | Ike Dirty, Peter Rafelson, Eric Kupper | 1 | — | — | [41] | ||||||||
| "Stars" | 1 | — | 33 | [42] | ||||||||||||
| 2009 | "Give You Everything" | Erika Jayne, Peter Rafelson | Peter Rafelson | 1 | — | 16 | [43] | |||||||||
| 2010 | "Pretty Mess" | 1 | — | 19 | [44] | |||||||||||
| "One Hot Pleasure" | Non-album singles | Luciana, Nick Clow, Dave Audé | Dave Audé | 1 | — | 24 | [45] | |||||||||
| 2011 | "Party People (Ignite the World)" | Kalle Engstrom, Niclas Kings, Andres Carlsson | Niclas Kings | 1 | — | 25 | [46] | |||||||||
| 2013 | "Get It Tonight" (featuring Flo Rida) | Vassal Benford, Flo Rida | Vassal Benford | — | 20 | — | [47] | |||||||||
| 2014 | "Painkillr" | Christopher Rodriguez, Erika Jayne | Christopher Rodriguez | 1 | 25 | — | [48] | |||||||||
| "You Make Me Wanna Dance" | Eric Martin, Eric Levy, Ross Valory, Erika Jayne | Eric Levy, Ross Valory | — | — | — | [49] | ||||||||||
| 2015 | "Crazy" (featuring Maino) | Scott Storch, Maino, Erika Jayne | Scott Storch | 1 | — | — | [50] | |||||||||
| 2016 | "How Many Fucks" | Justin Tranter, Myah Marie, Gage | Gage | 1 | — | — | [51] | |||||||||
| 2017 | "Xxpensive" | Ferras, Sarah Hudson, Marc Sibley, Nathan Cunningham, Erika Jayne, Jesse Saint John | Space Primates | — | — | — | [52] | |||||||||
| 2018 | "Cars" | Rachel West, Rachel Patricia De Rougemont, Louis Joseph Stone, Laurence Davis, Elana Cager, Eric Racy, Adam Bruce, Paul Jason Klein, Erika Jayne | Eric Racy | — | — | — | [53] | |||||||||
| 2023 | "Drip Drop" | Alma Goodman, Megan Redmond, Emily Haber, Miles Comaskey, Owen Hobson | Gold Glove | — | — | — | [54] | |||||||||
| 2024 | "Bounce" | Jesse Saint John, Cole M.G.N | Cole M.G.N | — | — | — | [55] | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a title that did not appear on the respective chart. Billboard's Global Dance Tracks ranking was discontinued in 2013. | ||||||||||||||||
As featured artist edit
| Year | Title | Album | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Drip" (Brooke Candy) | Sexorcism | Oscar Scheller, Ashnikko, Sega Bodega, Jesse Saint John, Brooke Candy | Sega Bodega, Oscar Scheller | [56] |
References edit
- ^ . BBC. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ 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. from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ Collar, Matt. "Erika Jayne Biography". AllMusic. from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- ^ "Erika Girardi Hopes Her Relationship with Her Mom Is Something People 'Will Be Able to Relate To'". Bravo. March 8, 2017. from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017. [better source needed]
- ^ "Erika Girardi on Painful Past — and Realizing She Was in a 'Wealthy Coma' After Marriage". people.com. from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ "Erika Jayne's 'Pretty Mess': 7 Revelations From 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Star's Memoir". Entertainment Tonight. from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "Low Ball (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ "Alchemy (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ "A conversation with 'Real Housewives' star Erika Girardi, our latest reality TV obsession". Los Angeles Times. March 9, 2016. from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Matthew; Rosman, Katherine (October 9, 2021). "The Real Trials of a 'Real Housewife'". The New York Times. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Get Ready, Genoa City: Erika Girardi Is Returning to The Young and the Restless in a Major Way!". E! Online. May 2, 2018. from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "DWTS: Erika Girardi Eliminated, Was Broken Before Final Breakthrough Performance". Peoplemag. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "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. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Glicksman, Josh (October 4, 2018). "Jessie James Decker, Erika Jayne & More to Host 2018 American Music Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show". Billboard. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Erika Jayne Got Revenge on Andy Cohen at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards". Bravo TV Official Site. May 21, 2018. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Has the "Very Cool" Erika Jayne Forgiven Taye Diggs?". Bravo TV Official Site. February 20, 2018. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Erika Jayne On Stage". New York Theatre Guide. March 28, 2024. from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (November 5, 2023). "Bravo Sets Two-Part Erika Jayne Doc 'Bet It All on Blonde': Watch Tense First Trailer". Variety. from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Erika Girardi Reveals She Contemplated Suicide 'Many Times' During Tom Girardi's Legal Troubles". Peoplemag. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Erika Jayne's 'Pretty Mess': 7 Revelations From 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Star's Memoir Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "Spotlight On Erika Jayne". Billboard. February 1, 2012. from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Erika Jayne Announces Las Vegas Residency". Paper Magazine. April 19, 2023. from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Gray, Mark. "'RHOBH' Star Erika Jayne Kicks Off Provocative Las Vegas Residency: 'It's a New Life'". Peoplemag. from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ Cardoza, Riley (May 5, 2020). "Erika Jayne Shares Rare Pic of Son Tommy: 'People Say We Look Alike'". Us Weekly. from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- ^ Slater, Georgia. "RHOBH's Erika Girardi Defends Son Who Is a Cop on Social Media: 'His Job Is to Protect All'". Peoplemag. from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Erika Girardi Biography". Bravo. Bravo TV. 2015. from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "RHOBH: A Look Into Erika Jayne's 'Unconventional' Marriage With Thomas Girardi". ScreenRant. November 13, 2020. from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ "A Timeline of Erika & Tom Girardi's Relationship, from Friendship to Fame to a Surprise Split". Peoplemag. from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ 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. from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ "Judge freezes assets of famed L.A. lawyer Tom Girardi, citing millions unpaid to clients". Los Angeles Times. December 14, 2020. from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Tom Girardi sued by Indonesia's Lion air crash families over claims US lawyer embezzled millions of their settlement funds July 13, 2021, at the Wayback Machine ABC News, June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Yasharoff, Hannah. "Erika Jayne, Tom Girardi accused of 'sham' divorce announcement to hide from embezzlement lawsuit". USA Today. from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Seidel, Jon (December 18, 2020). "Chicago law firm wants contempt order enforced against Erika Jayne of 'Real Housewives'". Chicago Sun-Times. from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ "The legal titan and the 'Real Housewife': The rise and fall of Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne". Los Angeles Times. December 17, 2020. from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "Erika and Tom Girardi's Legal Troubles Examined in The Housewife and the Hustler: Biggest Moments". People. from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "L.A. Times Studios and ABC News Studios Announce 'The Housewife and the Hustler 2: The Reckoning' Documentary". Los Angeles Times. January 31, 2024. from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ "'Real Housewives' star Erika Jayne wins Tom Girardi fraud lawsuit". Los Angeles Times. September 2022. from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Erika Jayne Dance Club Songs Chart History". Billboard. from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ "Erika Jayne Chart History". Billboard. from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Chart Search | Billboard". billboard.com. from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Roller Coaster - track". Muso.AI. from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Stars - Original Version - track". Muso.AI. from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Erika Jayne – Give You Everything, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ Erika Jayne – Pretty Mess, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ Erika Jayne – One Hot Pleasure, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ "Party People (Ignite the World) - Original Extended - track". Muso.AI. from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Erika Jayne (Ft. Flo Rida) – Get It Tonight, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ "Painkillr - track". Muso.AI. from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Erika Jayne – You Make Me Wanna Dance, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ Erika Jayne (Ft. Maino) – Crazy, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ Erika Jayne – How Many Fucks?, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ Erika Jayne – XXPEN$IVE, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ "Cars - track". Muso.AI. from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Erika Jayne – Drip Drop, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ Erika Jayne – Bounce, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
- ^ Brooke Candy (Ft. Erika Jayne) – Drip, from the original on March 31, 2024, retrieved March 31, 2024
External links edit
- Official website
- Erika Jayne at IMDb