How Erika Jayne Achieved a Net Worth of $5 Million
Erika Jayne is a singer, actress, businesswoman, and reality television star, probably best known for being a cast member in ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’ She began her career in 1990, so her career in various aspects of the entertainment industry has spanned four decades. Erika Jayne’s net worth is estimated at $5 million, and here is how she accrued her wealth.
Her Early Life
Although she is known professionally as Erika Jayne, the reality television star was born as Erika Chahoy in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 10, 1971. Her parents separated before she turned one, and she was raised by her single mother, Renee Chahoy. Erika Jayne attended North Atlanta High School, which is a performing art high school. The singer turned reality star showed talent as a performer from a young age. Following her graduation, Erika Jayne moved to New York City.
Erika Jayne’s Acting and Music Careers
After moving to Los Angeles to become a singer, Erika Jayne began working as an actress. Her first job was appearing in an episode of the NBC law drama series ‘Law & Order,’ playing the role of Suzanne Morton. She then had a small role in the 1995 independent film ‘Alchemy,’ followed by a role in ‘Lowball’ a year later.
Erika Jayne then focused her energies on developing a career in the music industry, and she became somewhat successful in the dance genre. She released her first single, ‘Rollercoaster,’ in January 2007. The single was an instant success, and it was placed at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Erika Jayne released her second single, ‘Stars,’ in the same year, and this single also topped the dance charts. She then released her debut album ‘Pretty Mess’ in 2009, and this featured her first two singles and the single ‘Give You Everything’ and ‘Pretty Mess.’ It was the only album that Erika Jayne ever released, but it led to her performing on tours. However, she continued to release singles, and many of these hit the number one spot on the charts. Between 2010 and 2018, she released nine singles, of which five were chart-topping. The last single she released was ‘cars’ in 2018. Unfortunately, neither this single nor the one she released in 2017 reached a chart position.
Her Career as a Reality Television Star
Alongside her music career, Erika Jayne returned to television, but this time in the capacity of a reality television star rather than as an actress. She joined the cast of ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ as one of the main cast members for the sixth season of the series in 2015. She joined at the same time as Kathryn Edwards, although Edwards left after just one season along with Jasmine Hadid. Erika Jayne remains a main cast member of ‘The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills’ and will appear in the upcoming 11th season of the series. As she has been in the main cast for six seasons, she is the third-longest-standing main cast member. She is only surpassed by Kyle Richards, who has been a main cast member in all 11 seasons, and Lisa Vanderpump, who was in the first nine seasons of the reality series. However, Kim Richards was a main cast member for five seasons and has appeared as a guest in a further four seasons.
Other Ventures
Most recently, Erika Jayne has returned to her musical roots. She announced in 2019 that she was playing Roxie Hart in the Broadway musical ‘Chicago.’ She played this role while also continuing to appear in ‘The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills.’ Erika Jayne has also become a businesswoman and has several ongoing ventures. She is in partnership with Shoe Dazzle and has developed a successful line of shoes. A further project in the fashion world involves Erika Jayne selling a range of designer clothes online. Another of her ventures is a collaboration with the makeup company Too Faced.
Erika Jayne’s Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Erika Jayne’s net worth is estimated at $5 million. She has made some of her money through her career in the music industry, and she has also made money from her television work, including starring in the reality series ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’ Furthermore, she has made money from her various business ventures in both the fashion and cosmetics industries.
Her Personal Life
Erika Jayne has been married twice and has one son. Her first husband was Thomas Zizzo, and they met when Erika Jayne was living in New York, and he was working as a DJ at a Manhattan club. The couple married at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1991 and went on to have a son, Thomas Zizzo, Jr. A few years later, the couple divorced, and Erika Jayne decided to relocate to Los Angeles to pursue her singing career. Her second husband was attorney Thomas Girardi, who is a founding partner of the downtown Los Angeles law firm Girardi & Keese. The couple married in January 1999 but announced their separation in November 2020. The couple’s divorce became big news, as they were named in a lawsuit that accused them of embezzling funds that were intended for the grieving families of the 2018 Lion Air plane crash victims. It was claimed that Erika Jayne and Girardi’s divorce was a sham to hide assets. Due to the allegations, it was requested that Erika Jayne stop selling clothes online while the courts attempted to recover $2 million to pay back the money that was owed to people from the fund. In response to the allegations and the media interest, Erika Jayne released photographs and text messages on Instagram that exposed Girardi’s relationship with Justice Tricia A. Bigalow, with whom it was claimed he was having an extramarital affair.
