What To Know About Meghan McCain's Feud With Bravo's Ariana Madix

Outspoken author, TV personality, and podcaster Meghan McCain is a living embodiment of the old adage, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." And in the October 2023 birthday-themed episode of her podcast, "Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat," she offered a new type of scorning deserving of her ire: getting cropped out of Bravo's Ariana Madix's Instagram pic.

Six months after the daughter of the late Senator John McCain and the "Vanderpump Rules" star attended the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, McCain shared her side of the social media snafu on her podcast. According to McCain, she, her husband, Madix, and other star-studded attendees snapped a group pic around a cocktail table.

While McCain shared the entire group photo, Madix reposted the same image with McCain and husband Ben Domenech cropped off the end of the shot. When McCain looked further into why she was excluded from Madix's picture, the actor's team denied any wrongdoing before Madix ultimately blocked McCain from Instagram.

Meghan McCain outlines the drama on her podcast, explaining that Ariana Madix and Lisa Vanderpump were invited to the White House Correspondents' Dinner by McCain's employer, The Daily Mail. At the encouragement of her boss, McCain mingled with the celebrities to make them feel more comfortable before they snapped the infamous group pic. McCain posted the now-deleted photo first, and then Madix followed suit on her own Instagram (via Simplecast).

Per McCain, she wasn't aware that Madix had reshared the photo without McCain and her friends until Page Six reached out to her for comment. "I was so confused and shocked," McCain recounted. "So, I called my boss, and I was like, 'FYI, this is causing unnecessary drama. Also, like, I didn't even talk to her. What's happening?"

Page Six reported that Madix and her team denied any targeted exclusion, with the actor's manager telling the site, "I can tell you without a doubt that there is no agenda with this post, whether political or otherwise. It's just how the post came out." Madix's team then cited the different aspect ratios between McCain's horizontal IG feed post and Madix's vertical Instagram Stories post. Still, McCain admitted on her podcast that she wasn't buying it.

Although Ariana Madix and her team claimed no ill will toward Meghan McCain, the podcast host said that Madix's actions afterward suggest otherwise. "Cut to: She now blocks me on Instagram," McCain said. "I found out on accident. I would've respected you if you just said, I don't f*** with Republicans. I don't like Meghan McCain.' Just say that. Don't come up with this weird story and then block me afterward." She added that other notable party attendees agreed that the cropped photo was strange, though the TV personality didn't mention specific names.

For McCain, the main issue with Madix's cropping — and subsequent blocking — of McCain and her friends lies in the bipartisan nature of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The podcaster described how the event is meant to put political and personal differences on hold, citing times when she's had to interact with figures that she famously dislikes, including Donald Trump and Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez. She called Madix's actions unnecessarily harsh, saying, "It totally ruined the event for me."

"Anyway, it's okay," McCain resolved. "I'll go next year, and she probably won't." Perhaps being on the receiving end of this mean-girl-esque behavior has softened McCain's opinions toward others, as she's also claimed she's through bad-mouthing President Biden. Regardless, though, it's clear that McCain and Madix won't be posing for a cute Instagram pic again anytime soon.