Ariana Biermann grew up on TV as Kim Zolciak’s young daughter on early seasons ofThe Real Housewives of Atlanta, and her turn onNext Gen NYCoffersa glimpse of Ariana’s adult lifenow that she’s moved to New York City.Next Gen NYCis Bravo’s foray into the nepo baby world, featuring the offspring of various Bravolebrities as they live and work in NYC.Cast members include Ariana, Gia Giudice fromThe Real Housewives of New Jersey, Riley Burruss fromThe Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Brooks Marks fromThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
Ariana’s parents,Kim and Kroy Biermann, have been going through a contentious divorcethat has played out in the press the past few years. Kim and Kroy met when Ariana was just 9 years old when her mom met Kroy at a charity event on RHOA. The two were married in 2011, and Kroy adopted Ariana and older sister Brielle Biermann as his own. Kim and Kroy had four other children before announcing their split in 2023.
Ariana Said Her Parents Took Her Money
Ariana Has Made Her Own Money Since She Was 14
In a scene onNext Gen NYCseason 1’s premiere episode, Ariana and her boyfriend Hudson McLeroy sit down to enjoy a meal and a bottle of wine together. When the subject of her mom, Kim, comes up,it’s clear that there’s underlying tension. Ariana says that her mom taught her about the finer things in life, including good wine, but now that Kim is going through her divorce, she can’t really afford those types of things anymore.
Kim and Kroy’s divorcehas been filled with sensational details that the tabloids have rabidly covered since their split was originally announced. They have called off their divorce multiple times, but as of now, it’s still on. Not only have Kim and Kroy insulted each other publicly, with Kroy claiming that Kim had a gambling problem and had spent all of their money, but Kroy also accused Kim of cheating on him. Police have been called to intervene at their family home multiple times, with footage from those incidents often being leaked to the public.
Ariana then dropped a bombshell, revealing that she’d been working since she was a young teenager and had nothing to show for it. Her money was taken by her parents during their divorce, and to this day, Ariana has no idea how much she made or what it was spent on. Ariana made the admission during a confessional.
“I have been on TV since I was five years old. I did reality television with my family. And then I started posting on Instagram. I got my first brand deal when I was 14. I was doing like three posts a week. You get paid astronomical to do a story or to do an Instagram post and I made quite a bit of money. … But unfortunately, my parents took my money.”
Ariana said thatshe didn’t find out her money was gone until two years ago, and she has no idea how much she even made in her teen years because “nobody was honest, there was no transparency” in her family. Ariana said she wished she’d been made aware of the things that were happening with her funds, because now she has no idea what it was even spent on. Her boyfriend Hudson agreed with her, and said he finds it unusual that her mom will “brag” about drinking pricey wine when they know she can’t afford it.
Ariana Said Mom Kim Zolciak Still Asks Her For Money
Ariana Helps Her Mom Financially
In the same scene,Ariana revealed that she feels sorry for her mombecause of the divorce and having four other small children to raise. Ariana said that even when the family was about to lose their home, nobody was honest with her, and she resents that.
Ariana left Atlanta because of all the lies in her family.
Kim still calls Ariana and asks her for moneyto this day, and Ariana will help her because she has younger siblings to consider. “She’s going through this crazy divorce, and [is] a mother to four kids. I get it. And I never want money to destroy a relationship with my family, ever,” Ariana shared, adding that she’ll often pay bills for the family.
At 22 years old,Ariana is financially contributing to her family’s well-being. Her parents deceived her, and Ariana is still helping them out, particularly when it concerns her younger siblings. Hudson pointed out that Ariana sends her mom cash, and thus has no way to track how it’s being used or whether it’s even helping the kids.
Ariana’s Family’s Financial Issues Cause Problems For Her Relationship
Hudson Said It “Upsets” Him
Above, via TikTok,Arianawas cheery. However, in a confessional on the show, when Ariana touched on the fact that she helps her mom financially, Hudson said, “That’s where I get upset.” Hudson feels thatbecause Kim and Kroy already took all of Ariana’s earnings from her work as a teen, they aren’t owed more. Ariana admitted that helping her mom financially has caused her and Hudson to “struggle” because they don’t agree on the issue. Ariana also confessed that because of this,she sometimes doesn’t share with Hudson that her mom asked her for money.
Ariana feels like she’s in an impossible position trying to please both her family and her boyfriend.
Hudson comes from wealth, so he has different ideas about money than she does. When she tried telling Hudson that it’s “not [his] business,” he corrected her and said, “It’s not my business; it’s our business.” Hudson added that he wished Ariana would say no sometimes.
Ariana Responded To Backlash
Ariana Said She’s Not Trying To “Bash” Parents
After the episode aired,Ariana faced backlash from people who felt she was publicly bashing her family. It’s hard to argue that Ariana’s admission isn’t flattering to her mom, Kim, but Ariana is the focus of the show, so her point of view is what’s being highlighted. She has a right to her story and to express her truth, despite the fact that it might make her mom look bad.Arianatook to social media to talk more about her revelations about her finances.
In the video,Ariana said that she was “overwhelmed” by the feedbackto the episode. Still, she reiterated that her “parents did take [her] money,” and specified that it was both of them, not just her mother. She also expressed that she felt that money is the “root of all evil,” and she didn’t intend to let it poison her relationship with her family.
“In no way shape or form was this me trying to bash my parents in any way. I wouldn’t be here without them and I hold absolutely no anger or hatred in my heart. I’m just not capable of that.”
Ariana said that she’s seen money destroy families, and she never wants to be in that position.Ariana has such a mature attitudeabout the whole situation, and her determination to maintain a healthy relationship with her family, despite what happened, is admirable. She also teased that as the season progresses, viewers will get more insight into how she “overcame” the situation and what she learned from it. She vowed that she’d never be in a situation like that again, and reiterated that she loved her family and wasn’t “ashamed” to speak her truth.
Next Gen NYCseason 1 airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
