Erika Jayne is an American singer, DJ, and reality TV personality known for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. After chart-topping dance hits and public legal battles with ex-husband Tom Girardi, she’s rebuilding her career as DJ Pretty Mess.
Who Is Erika Jayne?
Born Erika Chahoy on July 10, 1971, in Atlanta, Georgia, Erika Jayne is a 53-year-old entertainer who built her name through dance music and reality television. Her stage persona emerged from a desire to break rules and challenge expectations in an industry that often demands conformity.
She joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2015 for the show’s sixth season, bringing her over-the-top lifestyle and unapologetic attitude to millions of viewers. Today, she performs as DJ Pretty Mess, marking yet another chapter in her constantly shifting career.
The past five years reshaped her life entirely. Legal scandals, divorce proceedings, and financial battles forced her into the spotlight for reasons she never anticipated. Yet she continues working, performing, and rebuilding what was lost.
Early Life and First Steps in Entertainment
Raised by single mother Renee Chahoy after her father left when she was 9 months old, Erika grew up in Atlanta with limited resources but big ambitions. She graduated from North Atlanta High School and immediately set her sights beyond Georgia’s borders.
At 18, she moved to New York City, throwing herself into the entertainment industry with little more than determination. Her first on-screen appearances came through NBC’s Law & Order, though her roles went uncredited. Small parts in independent films like Alchemy and Lowball followed, but none launched the career she envisioned.
While living in New York, she met Thomas Zizzo, who was working as a DJ at a Manhattan club. The couple married in December 1991 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Soon after, she gave birth to her son, Thomas Zizzo Jr., who now works as a Los Angeles police officer. The marriage ended in 1996, prompting her move to Los Angeles to pursue her singing dreams.
Music Career: From “Roller Coaster” to DJ Pretty Mess
Music producer Peter Rafelson came up with the idea of changing her name to “Erika Jayne”, creating the bold persona that would define her dance music career. Her debut single “Roller Coaster” dropped on January 1, 2007, and immediately topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
The success continued through the next decade. She released several standalone singles from 2010 to 2018, including number one singles “Painkillr” and “How Many Fucks”. Her debut album, Pretty Mess, arrived in August 2009, establishing her sound in the dance and club music scene.
In 2018, she embarked on her first headlining concert tour, Erika Jayne Presents: The Pretty Mess Tour, visiting 13 cities across the United States. The tour proved she could fill venues beyond the club circuit. Five years later, she took her show to Las Vegas. In April 2023, she announced Bet It All on Blonde, a Las Vegas concert residency at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay that ran select weekends from August to December 2023.
By late 2024, Erika pivoted from performing her own songs to DJing events across the nation under the name DJ Pretty Mess. She describes this shift as reigniting her passion for music. Her December 2024 Brooklyn performance at 3 Dollar Bill marked her commitment to this new direction.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Era
Reality television changed everything for Erika. The New York Times estimated that she earned more than $600,000 for the show’s 11th season in 2021. The show gave her a platform far beyond what her music career alone could provide.
Her time on RHOBH showcased both her glamorous lifestyle and the cracks beneath its surface. Viewers watched her extravagant performances, her relationship with powerful attorney Tom Girardi, and eventually, the collapse of everything she’d built.
The show’s 15th season features Erika alongside returning cast members Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley, Bozoma Saint John, and Sutton Stracke. New additions Rachel Zoe and Amanda Frances join the group. The season explores fresh starts and major conflicts, with Erika navigating life after her legal troubles.
Broadway and Other TV Appearances
In 2019, she was cast as Roxie Heart in the Broadway production of Chicago. She debuted on January 6, 2020, at the Ambassador Theater, fulfilling a dream she’d held for years. COVID-19 shut down production after only two months, cutting her run short on March 11, 2020.
Five years later, she got her second chance. Jayne reprised the role of Hart at the Ambassador Theater on January 20, 2025, for a planned three weeks, but it was extended an additional two weeks, scheduled to perform through February 23.
Her television appearances stretch beyond RHOBH. She competed on Dancing with the Stars Season 24 with partner Gleb Savchenko, though they were eliminated in week five. In 2025, Jayne competed in season thirteen of The Masked Singer as “Yorkie”, performing songs by The Supremes, Otis Redding, and Chappell Roan before her elimination in Week 9.
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 Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The documentary revealed her darkest moments. She said she had contemplated suicide during the darkest days of her legal struggles, adding that her son talked her out of it.
Tom Girardi: Marriage, Divorce, and Legal Fallout
In January 2000, she married Los Angeles personal-injury attorney Thomas Girardi, who was 33 years older than her. They met in 1998 when she was working as a cocktail waitress at Chasen’s, a Los Angeles restaurant where he was a regular. Tom was already famous for the case that inspired the film Erin Brockovich.
Their 20-year marriage appeared successful from the outside. Tom funded Erika’s entertainment company, EJ Global LLC, and supported her music career financially. Behind the scenes, Tom was allegedly stealing millions from his clients.
In November 2020, she announced her separation from Girardi and filed for divorce. One month later, the lawsuits began. The couple was named in a lawsuit for allegedly embezzling funds meant for families of the victims of the fatal 2018 Lion Air plane crash. Media outlets questioned whether the divorce was legitimate or simply an attempt to hide assets.
In August 2024, a federal jury in Los Angeles convicted Girardi on four wire fraud charges. The charges alleged he stole money from his clients over a decade. Tom Girardi was sentenced to 87 months, over seven years, in federal prison for four counts of fraud.
Erika faces her own legal challenges. The lawsuit against Erika was filed by Tom’s bankruptcy trustee, Elissa Miller, claiming Erika knew where the money was coming from. The U.S. Sun confirmed that a judge has been assigned to the case, and a trial will most likely take place this summer.
Erika’s lawyer explained that Tom’s declining mental state has prohibited any progress with the divorce. He suggested the divorce may have to wait “until he dies”. Tom now lives in an assisted living facility with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
Erika Jayne’s Net Worth and Financial Recovery
Erika has an estimated net worth of $5 million in 2024. This figure represents a dramatic drop from her life with Tom, when their combined wealth reached over $100 million.
Her income now comes from multiple sources. The New York Times reported that Erika made $600,000 for season 11 of RHOBH, a $100,000 raise from her previous $500,000 per season salary. She also earns money through her DJ performances, music royalties, and brand partnerships.
The legal battles cost her significantly. A Los Angeles Times article alleged that Tom Girardi improperly funneled more than $20 million of victims’ compensation to EJ Global, a company set up to finance Jayne’s entertainment and singing career. The couple’s Pasadena mansion was sold in 2022 for $7.5 million to pay creditors.
Despite these losses, Erika continues working. She launched a podcast called “Diamonds in the Rough” with former RHOBH cast member Teddi Mellencamp in December 2024. The show features Bravo recaps and personal discussions, adding another revenue stream.
Personal Life: Family and Relationships
Her relationship with her son remains strong. Thomas Zizzo Jr. works as an LAPD officer, a fact Erika has defended publicly when critics questioned law enforcement. She rarely posts about him on social media, preferring to keep that part of her life private.
Erika Jayne said she’s having a “really nice” time with boyfriend John “Shrek” McPhee, a retired U.S. Army special operations sergeant major with whom she was first romantically linked in July 2024. The relationship marks her first serious romance since filing for divorce from Tom.
She now lives in a smaller Los Angeles home, a significant downgrade from the Pasadena mansion she once called home. The adjustment hasn’t been easy, but she’s spoken about finding peace in simplicity after years of excess.
What Is Erika Jayne Doing Now?
Erika’s 2024-2025 calendar stays packed. Her DJ Pretty Mess performances take her across the country, from Brooklyn nightclubs to major events. She’s embraced this new chapter in her music career with visible enthusiasm.
Her Broadway return as Roxie Hart in January 2025 proved she could still command a stage. The production’s two-week extension confirmed audience demand for her performance.
She continues filming RHOBH Season 15, which airs Thursdays on Bravo. The show documents her life as she navigates ongoing legal issues and builds her career as a DJ.
Her podcast with Teddi Mellencamp drops weekly, giving fans insight into her life beyond what cameras capture. The show discusses Bravo programming while allowing both women to share personal updates.
In June 2025, she’ll perform at the Mighty Hoopla festival and Koko London, taking her DJ work international. These bookings signal growing demand for her performances outside the United States.
The Cultural Impact of Erika Jayne
Throughout her music career, Jayne has performed at several gay nightclubs and LGBT pride events, including LA Pride. Her connection to the LGBTQ+ community runs deep, with her dance music and bold persona resonating with audiences who value authenticity and self-expression.
Her dance music contributions shouldn’t be dismissed despite her reality TV fame. Multiple number-one hits on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart prove her talent beyond manufactured celebrity. Her song “Drip” was featured in the Academy Award-winning film Anora in 2024, introducing her music to new audiences.
The reality TV world knows her as someone who survived public humiliation and legal battles while remaining on camera. Her willingness to film during her darkest moments gave viewers a raw look at what happens when a privileged life collapses overnight.
Her story about rebuilding after losing nearly everything resonates beyond reality TV audiences. She represents both a cautionary tale and an inspiration, showing the consequences of trusting the wrong person while demonstrating that starting over at 50-plus is possible.
The legal scandals will forever be part of her story. But they don’t define the entirety of who she is or what she’s accomplished. From Atlanta to Broadway, from cocktail waitress to dance music chart-topper, she’s lived multiple lives in one career. The next chapter, as DJ Pretty Mess, might be her most authentic yet.
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