Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Erika Girardi Chahoy, better known by her professional name Erika Jayne, is an American singer, reality television personality, and former actress.
Jayne enjoyed moderate acting success before shifting her attention to music. More recently, she’s best known for her role in the reality television show ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (RHOBH).’
Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Erika Girardi Chahoy |
| Popular Name: | Erika Jayne |
| Gender: | Female |
| Birth Date: | July 10, 1971 |
| Age: | 51 years |
| Parents: | Renee Chahoy, father’s name unknown |
| Siblings: | Unknown |
| Birth Place: | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | Caucasian |
| Education: | North Atlanta High School |
| Marital Status: | Divorced; was married to Thomas Zizzo (from 1991 until their divorce in 1996) and Thomas Girardi (from 2000 until their separation in 2020) |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
| Children: | Tommy Zizzo (from her first marriage to Thomas Zizzo) |
| Dating: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | USD 5 million |
| Source of Wealth: | Acting, Singing, Reality Television Appearance, and Other Ventures |
| Height: | 5′ 7″ (1.70 m) |
| Weight: | 62 kg; In pounds: 136 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Erika Girardi Chahoy was born on July 10, 1971, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Renee Chahoy. Little is known about her father since her parents divorced before she could turn a year old.
Chahoy attended North Atlanta High School, during which she was enrolled in the Magnet program for performing arts. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.
Acting Career
Erica Jayne made a handful of guest appearances on television shows from the early to late-90s. She’s most noted for her role on NBC’s legal drama series ‘Law & Order.’ Jayne was also cast in various films around the same period, such as Alchemy (1995) and Lowball (1996).
As her acting career began to take off, Erica Jayne decided to move to Los Angeles. At some point in the late-1990s, years after divorcing her first husband Thomas Zizzo, Jayne began working at a bar and restaurant in Beverly Hills known as Chasen’s. It’s during this period that she met and befriended one of the restaurant’s owners, lawyer Tom Girardi.
Girardi was already a decorated attorney by this time. He had amassed considerable wealth as a co-founder of Girardi & Keese, a litigation firm based in downtown Los Angeles that specialized in consumer malpractices.
Jayne married Girardi in 2000 and her husband played a significant role in shaping her wife’s acting career over the next decade. In 2015, after appearing in several movies and television shows, Erika Jayne became a cast member of ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’
Music Career
Erika Jayne launched her music career in 2007 by releasing the single “Roller Coaster.” The song topped the U.S Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Jayne released her debut album on August 11, 2009, titled ‘Pretty Mess.’
Determined to ensure that her wife’s music career scales new heights, Thomas Girardi hired former Michael Jackson’s choreographer and renowned songwriter Andreas Carlsson for Jayne. The decision paid off as Erika went on to release several smash hits through Carlsson’s guidance. They include Give You Everything (2009), Pretty Mess (2009), One Hot Pleasure (2010), and Party People (Ignite the World) (2011), all of which topped the U.S Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Jayne’s other top-charting singles include Painkiller (2014), Crazy ft. Maino (2015), and How Many Fucks (2016).
Erika Jayne’s Net Worth
Erika Jayne has a net worth of $5 million, as of 2023. Jayne made her fortune from acting, reality television appearance, and singing.
Many have argued that Jayne’s net worth could have been higher if she hadn’t divorced her two ex-husbands. However, it’s difficult to quantify the financial losses Erika suffered by going separate ways with her former husbands.
For starters, Erika’s first husband Thomas Zizzo had no known assets. There are no records pointing to any divorce settlements either.
Perhaps Jayne would have inherited a fortune courtesy of her divorce from her wealthier second husband Tom Girardi. Unfortunately, it emerged that the two did not sign a prenup. And even if they did, Jayne wouldn’t have come out with much. That’s especially considering that Tom’s businesses were already in shambles around the time of their divorce. Tom’s law firms filed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in December 2020.
Lessons from Erika Jayne
1. Be Consistent
Erika Jayne broke onto the entertainment limelight in the early 90s. She managed to maintain her celebrity status throughout the 1990s and 2000s by appearing consistently in films and television shows.
2. Stand for what you believe in
Jayne is known to firmly defend her beliefs. According to the former actress, celebrities become vulnerable to unfair criticism the moment they compromise their ideals.
3. You only live once
Erika Jayne is a lavish spender who doesn’t hesitate to splurge on the things that make her happy. At some point, Jayne reportedly spent $40,000 monthly on clothes alone. What’s the point of shoving all your earnings in bank accounts when we’re only here for a spell anyway?
Famous Quotes by Erika Jayne
• It’s great to have financial support. But having someone’s emotional support is something that I wish I had more of growing up.
• I will always be fashion. I try to pull it together. I think that comes from a sense of self. That’s how you create your own look.
• My ultimate goal was to make the music that I wanted to make, and give shows. I was never going to get a major label deal – I never wanted a major label deal – so I was really free to express myself.
• The court of public opinion should not matter, but we’re all human. And sometimes things sting. But I think you have to be willing to shake it off, and to not fall in love with the applause either.
• Whether I’m performing in a club or onstage as Erika Jayne, whether I’m making records, whether I’m doing TV, I’ve got to entertain, and I have to take people away from their space and bring them into mine.
Wrap Up
Erika Jayne may have since retired from acting. But her name continues to ring across the entertainment world, thanks to her impeccable reputation as an actress, reality television star, and musician. Jayne has amassed a net worth of $5 million as of 2023.
