With the past firmly in the rearview mirror, the breakout star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is once again on top.
By Richard Pérez-Feria | Photography by Mike Ruiz

Part of the fascination with so many of Bravo’s impossible-to-ignore ‘Real Housewives’ derive from their collective—and dumbfounding—lack of self-awareness. Do these reality stars not own televisions to see how they behave? is often the unspoken question most of us have of these grown women. But, when it comes to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills standout and resident bombshell Erika Jayne, the opposite is true.

In the recently aired season of the mega-successful Bravo series, Jayne was at her finest, most in control and, unexpectedly, her funniest. “Merce is in the purse!” is legit Real Housewives gold on par with “I made it nice!” and “Gone With The Wind fabulous.” And Jayne needed that season to go as well as it did after an undeniably rough couple of years stemming from being implicated in her estranged husband’s colossal legal issues while coping with his rapidly deteriorating health. A new, empathetic attitude and several legal victories clearing her of any wrongdoing have empowered this appealing Erika Jayne 2.0 as never before. If we liked her before her troubles, the audience really fell in love with the Southern charmer turned electric, can’t-take-your-eyes-off-of-her performer this past season.

Dress by DO LONG
Shoes by Christian Louboutin

On New Year’s Day 2007, Jayne launched her music career with the release of her debut single, “Roller Coaster” which reached No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart. That instant success was followed by an astonishing eight more chart-topping club bangers including “Stars,” “Give You Everything,” “Pretty Mess,” “One Hot Pleasure,” “Party People,” “Crazy” and “How Many Fucks.” In August 2009, Jayne release the album, Pretty Mess and embarked on her first headlining concert tour in 2018—“Erika Jayne Presents: The Pretty Mess Tour”—visiting 13 cities across the US.

An actress, singer, author and reality television personality, Jayne also starred as Roxie Hart in the iconic, long-running Broadway musical of Bob Fosse’s Chicago in 2020 (she shined in the 80 performances she was able to do before the global pandemic shut down The Great White Way for a couple of years).

With more than 2.6 million followers on Instagram (and five million across all social media platforms), Erika Jayne is nothing less than a pop cultural phenomenon. She seemingly breaks all the rules, but with an appealing, knowing wink to her audience, a trait that was on full display in her limited-run Las Vegas residency, Bet It All On Blonde, at House Of Blues at The Mandalay Bay. During her dozen well-received performances—and captured in the terrific Peacock documentary of the same name—Jayne was at her most vulnerable, a side to her she had historically been reluctant to reveal. That very vulnerability made Jayne instantly more relatable, more human and, thus, more beloved. She let the audience in as never before and we liked what we saw.

Her entertainment bonafides were further on display on Season 24 of Dancing With The Stars. Jayne also released her first book, Pretty Mess, in 2019 quickly making her a New York Times best-selling author. The indefatigable celebrity has also partnered with numerous global brands including Alexander Wang, Moschino, Kenzo and many more.

Currently filming Season 14 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the Atlanta native is entering this phase of her life and career with a palpable freedom she’s clearly been searching for all along. We like, no, love, this version of Erika Jayne. We want her to be cheeky and unfiltered, of course, but when it’s sprinkled with a tad of self-awareness, it seems that Erika Jayne may just have cracked the secret formula to “Housewives” immortality. One thing’s certain: We’ll all be watching.

What’s the one word you’d use to describe your current state of mind?
Hopeful.

After such an unexpected and unimaginable couple of years, how good did the recent court decisions and career opportunities feel?
I feel as if a massive weight has been lifted off my chest, I can finally breathe a little.

**Left:**
Dress by SAIID KOBEISY
**Right:**
Dress by VETEMENTS

**Left:**
Dress by VETEMENTS
Right:
Dress by SAIID KOBEISY

How important was your Bravo job during the storm?
My job on RHOBH while incredibly challenging was also a reason to get up everyday and move forward toward rebuilding my life.

Looking back on your Las Vegas residency, was the result worth the anxiety?
Absolutely! Bet it All On Blonde was ABSOLUTELY worth it, blood sweat and tears... plus anxiety!

Dress by ANИAKIKI
Earrings by Caroline Svedbom
Ring by BUKKEHAVE
Shoes by Sergio Rossi

Any exciting projects in the pipeline you’d like to tell us about?
I am so excited to announce my new single & video, “Dominos” has just been released for Pride Month! We are starting rehearsals for all my upcoming summer performances and stay tuned for new music & tour dates!

We know you just started filming the new season of Beverly Hills, but any early surprises you care to share? For example, any eyebrow-raising friendships emerging?
I’ve had fun so far this season and I have a great new additions to the cast but it’s a little too early to predict where things are gonna go.

If you could bring back two ‘Housewives’ to your franchise, which two would they be?
My girls Lisa Rinna, Teddi Mellencamp and Diana Jenkins.

What keeps you up at night? What remains unresolved in your mind?
An uncertain future.. and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Rebuilding in your 50’s is not easy.

The images that photographer Mike Ruiz took are incredible. How much fun is he
to work with?
I’ve known Mike for many years and we’ve done some incredible work together. It's always a pleasure to reconnect with someone who is both talented and a kind person. Mike has an incredible eye and great taste.

What’s the big Bucket List dream for Erika Jayne? A concert at Dodger Stadium? A new romance and marriage proposal? A spinoff Bravo series?
A billion dollars sounds nice!

Being such a public person, do you have any secrets left? If so, tell us one.
I am afraid of the dark so I sleep with a night light.

Instagram:
@theprettymess

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Erika Jayne
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Interview by Richard Pérez-Feria
Director or Photography: Donato Di Natale
Editor: Michael Vernazza
Music: “Dominos” by Erika Jayne
Fashion Stylist: Melvin Sanders at TMG
Hair: Ruslan Nureev
Makeup: Damien Diaz
Set Design: Jasin Cadic
Photo Assistants: River Chad, Ozzie Gutierrez
Male Models:
Felix Fox, Hank Meyer, Tyler Kimball, Ozzie Owens, Matthieu Gerard, Xander Magnus
Romeo Ramirez, Raif Moore
Male Models’ Grooming: Grooming: Raquel Moreno
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Shot on location at the home of Mark Ebinger and Mark Coffey in Encino, CA.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet The New Erika Jayne