Lexi Wood
Appearances
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I mean, I think that there's always room for growth in every industry. I think especially modeling because it is so based on your looks and based on fitting in these boxes. I love how the industry really is being more open to different bodies and different like everything being different is now celebrated.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I feel like when I first started, there was always like if you weren't five, nine and like a supermodel, then you were not going to be picked very often. I remember once in Paris, they lined us all up and they were like, they just ripped us apart. They were like, okay, your ears are too big, you're too short, you're this, you're that, like just ripped us all apart.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And then they're like, okay, well, I guess you can get the job because like, it was like you fit into whatever image they had. Sure. Which makes a lot of sense because at the end of the day, models are supposed to be like almost like a blank canvas. And I do understand it, but I definitely have been loving the industry just being more accepting in general.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I mean, yeah, again, there's so many more changes that 100% could be made. And I think just having girls... feel like they have a voice, feel like they have the strength. Because for me, I was really privileged that I was just from Canada. But there's also so many girls that don't speak English that have all these things where we would all live together in model apartments.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And agents do hold your immigration against you because they sponsor your visa. So even for me, if I didn't do what my agents wanted me to do or fall in line, they would threaten my immigration. So there was like a lot of things. And again, I'm so lucky that I have family support. I had everything. But at the end of the day, they could still take away my immigration at any point.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So that was definitely like a turning point for me a couple years ago when I was like, this is not fair. And I sat down with my immigration lawyer. And then we ended up being able to sponsor my visa without an agency. And then that's when I started working with my mom and sister. We got them visas and everything. I'm just so passionate about making sure that models feel like, no, you have choices.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Maybe if I naturally met other people, we'll see where the universe brings us. And then the like last year at this time, I got the call to cast. And I, in the meantime, had met Sierra out, Paige out. So I felt like I had a little bit more of like familiar faces.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I feel like I'm so the type of person where I want to put everything under my wing. I'm like, okay, come here, chickens. Let's go. Especially because you can only really ever see where people are coming from if you've been in that position. That's how your brain chemistry literally works. So being able to understand all these young girls and what they're going through.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It's funny because I started an agency with my mom and sister and I'm the guinea pig right now. But that was always the goal. Who knows in the future if we do take on other models and we do actually do ethical practices. It's crazy to think, but who knows that could be something in the future that I would be super passionate about.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Interesting. So I definitely have shot with a lot more women, which has been amazing. I feel like even just we understand how each other like moves in the body and the chemistry. And so that's always great. I've definitely been on set with photographers where they're like, okay, perfect now.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. Or like the bait and switch where like a client will ask for this happened to me all the time. A client would ask to book me and then they'd be like, oh, Lexi's not available, but you should book this person. And then they'll do it again, like a couple of times just to get a couple more girls in front of them because they know that the client really wanted to book me.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And then finally they'll give them me, even though I was really just sitting at home waiting for people to book me. They do the bait and switch all the time. And I feel like that's another aspect where as like a young person in the industry, you honestly, models don't get enough credit. Sometimes we have to be our own lawyers. We have to own businesses.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
We have to like, we have to just really be such like well-rounded adults. And sometimes it is at such young ages. And again, I'm so lucky that I had support where I could call my parents or get a second opinion on something. But like, we really do have to know a lot about different parts of the industry.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And I do feel like sometimes that is a struggle for younger models to know that they have a voice and be okay to use it. Because I know that I've always been the type of person I got into modeling because I was so shy. And I do feel like as time as I grew up, I did realize that like saying no is OK. You can say that you're uncomfortable.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
You can say I remember one time I got my leg burned on set and I was just too scared to like say you're burning my leg. So I just let it happen.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
or i sat in like a bed of fire ants on set in cuba and i just kept sitting there because i was too shy to be like hey yeah i'm getting eaten alive here and i feel like my legs are on fire i'd like to move yeah i would like to move from this position i was like did we get the shot okay perfect i'm so happy um so yeah i think that young models are more intimidated to speak up for themselves
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I think first and foremost, read contracts. Put it through chat GPT if you need to, especially now that we have that. That's even better. When I was growing up, I didn't have that. So I was really just putting a lot of faith in other people. But I would say no, like educate yourself because as much as modeling is so fun, you get to travel the world, you get to do all these great things.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It is lonely. It is a really big, you have to know what you're signing because at the end of the day, you've signed contracts for three plus years to an agency and you are stuck in that. You cannot leave that or you do have to get lawyers involved and it turns into a huge mess. So read the contracts thoroughly. Speak up. Redline contracts when you feel like something isn't aligning with you.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
If you want more freedom, write your own contracts. Maybe make them sign a contract back. Because I actually ended up doing that with one of my last agencies. I was like, I'll sign a contract, but also I'm putting a clause in there that I can get out at any time. Because at the end of the day, I have signed contracts where I can't. And then you're stuck in this limbo for three years.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And yeah, you're stuck. There's nothing that you can do. It's a legally bounding contract.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
You can't go anywhere else. You can't go anywhere else. And they own your likeness. They own your image. They own everything. So read your contracts. Get a second opinion, whether it's a family member or a friend or anything. I think having that business mindset is so important because modeling isn't just booking a campaign. It's so much more than that.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, there's a lot. Really? I think, again, when it comes to contracts, it's so important. And I don't think that I because they are every agency will say, oh, no, it's it's just like the normal contract. Like it's the same for everyone. Yeah. Like, haha, it's nothing. Yeah. Like, oh, no. Well, or they'll pull the whole.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Literally, they just let us be, which I think is really cool in the casting. They say, OK, like, who do you know in Bravo, even like in the housewives or anyone like who? Yeah. Who are you connected to? I know a couple of the housewives as well. So I feel like it's nice to kind of have them to lean on if I need any advice.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
we'll let you out whenever you want like that's obviously we're not gonna hold you to it and then push comes to shove they hold you to it so it's definitely yeah i've been fucked over a couple times where i'm like okay lexi learning lesson was there one where like there was like you you could put a value to what it cost you if that makes sense Like, with money I lost because I was in it?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It was a couple long-term contracts that were kind of held back from me. The fit and where I wanted to go in my career, it wasn't aligning anymore. So I tried to get out, and they were just like, no. And then I was stuck in that, and I lost a couple contracts there. because of it. So it ended up being longevity wise, it ended up like actually screwing me over for the future.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
But at the end of the day, again, like I do feel like I work so hard and the people that I work with do know that I am so authentic. Like if I am working with your company, it's because as a consumer, I genuinely love you guys. I genuinely use you guys, whether I was in this contract or not, I'm going to be using this product.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And so I do feel like there's like some magic and I do feel like my clients have like they do recognize that in me. So thankfully the clients did end up moving wherever I went, but some of them didn't. And that, that is what it is. It sucks in the moment, but you know, long-term wise, I feel like everything happens for a reason.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Jessel. Okay. I feel like she honestly has been like her and I met before I even casted for Summer House. So when she found out I was on Summer House, she's like, girl, why didn't you call me? She's so sweet. And then you just kind of like being in New York, I think that you just always run into everyone. So that was really nice. And then, yeah, I don't think that they really didn't say much.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
A hundred percent. No, I am agreeing with that because I do feel like at the end of the day, if you can't one, see that everyone in every situation is different, like how I react to something isn't how you're going to react to something, how like every single thing is really based on your mindset towards that. So if I, even after every relationship, I'm like, okay, look it.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
was that a bad relationship? How can I improve? Or what's a boundary that I want to set for my next relationship? And I do feel like it gets better and you figure out who you are more. And I feel like whether that's a working relationship or a romantic relationship or anything, I do feel like it's definitely a mindset that you have to be in to be able to take it
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. Interesting. No, I think that's also like with even my mindset with being so close to my family, it's so funny because those are the types of families that I'm used to. Like families that are in the industry that give each other advice, work with each other where they can, like that are so close, travel together, live together.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
They do so much together because they understand that like that mindset is your family has your back period. So I do feel like those families are...
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So I actually have never been on dating apps or anything like that. So I genuinely just meet people through friends. I think that's also why I'm always so open to meeting guys through people that I'm friends with because I've had great experiences. I have the coolest friends that introduced me to also really cool, like-minded people.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And with those guys specifically, yeah, we were just, we have mutual friends and we were always hanging out and we sparked up a romance. Yeah. Yeah. I think that that's a big part because I lived in LA.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Well, my thing is I really respect where they're at right now in their lives.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
nothing bad to say i wish you know him of course no and i do understand that it's obviously something that people ask but i also just always want to move respectfully for everyone that i've dated whether it was in public or private because i do just feel like especially with like brooklyn he's has and it's in a great relationship and i'm so happy for him and i'm the type of ex that i'm actually friends with a lot of my exes and i want them to move on i'm like
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
They just had a couple castings where you meet different people and they're very long castings. You just kind of sit and talk for an hour. And then they just see if your personality would go with everybody else in the house, I guess.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It's funny. I feel like he was just always Brooklyn's dad.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
You know what I mean? Like, I feel like immediately, I feel like immediately I didn't think anything of it. And then he just was his dad. And so I just saw him as his dad.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
They're a beautiful family. Victoria, she's the style icon. They're the coolest family.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I mean, I think that they were both, yeah, they were just both lovely. Victoria or Cindy? I mean, Cindy Crawford.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
The Gerbers, I was obviously older when I dated Presley and Presley and I were friends for so long there. So I spent just more time with them, obviously being more in like the adult mindset when Brooklyn and I were always linked together. We were like, I think I was 20. So it was a little bit more like we were hanging out together.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So we didn't really spend too much time with like the whole family unit. We'd hang with like Romeo, which is, but they raised such a, both families have raised such great,
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
families and just being so close and having those same like morals and values that I have so innately it was just so nice being around them and yeah the Gerbers are amazing I was so grateful to have like Cindy and Randy as people that I could go to when we needed relationship advice and having my parents and it was honestly like one big happy family so yeah no they're lovely yeah it's iconic
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It's funny because I feel like being a model for so long, I just never assume I have anything. So I was like, there's no way. Like, there's just, I don't know. I'm just doing these couple castings. And each casting process was, they would be like a month in between each meeting. So I really had no idea.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So Bailey and I had met just one time we got drinks. So I think she knew other people on the cast. Okay. And then I knew other people on the cast.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. I think that was West. I have to be honest. I think that was West being like besties. You're too besties. Yeah. So her and I had only met once. She was so sweet though. And I do honestly wish that she did stick around because I feel like it would have been so much easier for me to have that equal. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Do you know anything? Because I haven't heard from them in a month. It's funny, I didn't. Because I didn't even want to like, I was like, oh, who knows?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I think it was like early on. The second weekend. Wow. Like she came back for two weekends. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It would have been easier for me to just like have somebody else to have like the camaraderie with and like our bedroom. So how the house is set up, the newbies bedrooms are on the main floor, kind of like in between the kitchen and the living room. So there was, it would have been so nice. Like every morning I'd like text Bailey and be like, hey, you want to get coffee in the kitchen?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It was just nice to kind of have that other person that has no idea what's going on. Like we are so new. We didn't know house rules. We didn't know. So trying to figure that out together, I feel like would have been so nice.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And then I also feel like it would have been obviously easier for me in a relationship because then I would have probably had more of somebody else to bounce things off of and just kind of have by my side. Whereas I feel like because she left it, obviously the newest newbies were West and Jesse. So they were kind of the ones that I was like, okay, Newbie mindset. You guys are my guys.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
You would think it would. For me, I feel like everybody's so different, right? And like everybody handles things so differently. And I actually went into the relationship with Jesse saying, okay, clearly having a relationship in this house is difficult. I don't want to proceed with you if we're not going to be able to end amicably and be okay.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I don't want to end up like West and Sierra and we are different people. So we might not end up like Wes and Sierra, and hopefully that's what would happen. And he originally said that should be no problem. And I think if things were different, we probably could have been in a different space than we are in right now. But he obviously wanted to treat it the same.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
much hurt there was between west and sierra if i'm going to be honest i think obviously i can't really comment about how sierra um like feels about things but just from when i was going in from my perception i didn't know too much and because i didn't watch last season and i didn't watch the reunion and i didn't really watch anything i really was trying to play catch up with everyone okay
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
But I definitely didn't think that it was going to be a red flag for me and my relationship because we are all so different in the house. And that's what honestly makes the house great in so many ways because we are so different.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I think from my perception and from what I've known of West, again, I don't know West in that capacity or even when he was really going for another girl in the house. But he seems pretty stuck on not wanting a relationship. Whereas Jesse really, really wanted a relationship. Like Jesse was acting like a boyfriend, saying all these things.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Like he was really in the mindset where he's like, I want a girlfriend. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Well, it's funny. In hindsight, I feel like there's definitely things that he said all the time. Like he would say to me, oh, West got so famous from bucking over Sierra. And I'd be like, but I really thought it was more of like a venting session that he was just like venting to me. Or like he would say a lot of things about West. And I'd be like, OK, OK, let me like.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Did it give you the idea that maybe he was envious of West?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
yes but also at the end of the day I was like well there's no way because he's doing a million things to show me that like we are in an actual relationship he's vents to me all the time about everybody else in the house or he's like he does all these things where I genuinely just thought he was venting now obviously hindsight you're like oh okay that is that actually is weird to say I almost feel like he did want to be I mean he even said in a podcast he's like the hate helps my algorithm so keep going
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So I'm like, okay, this, I think especially after him saying that, I'm like, you knew what you were doing. And I hate that.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
interesting yeah you feel like he was that like calculated with his choices with you yeah because he would say to me like oh like nobody even so for example in the summer he would say to me oh everybody's talking about you whatever but that's so good because you're getting so much air time like last year my first season nobody even cared about me and so there was just these like little things that he would say or he'd say like don't trust this person or and it in the moment to me not to trust
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Every, everyone, every single person. So in the cast, in production and everywhere. So I think it was difficult.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. Because he's like, I care so much about you. Obviously, I'm dating you. I love you. So it was difficult for me because as a singular person going in there with no other newbie to be like, okay, what's going on right now?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I definitely think like you, I wanted it more and more every time. But I also just was completely leaving it up to the universe. I was like, you know what? Whatever I'm supposed to do, my path is my path, whether I get it or not. It's still like I still do know Amanda outside the house. Like it's not like...
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I really did lean and I think that I definitely trusted him more than I even naturally probably would because I did think that he was being honest and being like look at I'm telling you these things because I was new last year and he would always just be like everybody is so out of touch with being a newbie that like I'm really giving you good advice here and so obviously I trusted him and again with the feelings and everything involved and living together and it's
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
him sleeping in my bed every single night, that was difficult for me to be like, okay, but are you being authentic? And I think because I'm so authentic with everything that I do, everything I say, everything that I'm feeling, it's so real that I assume that in everyone else.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And I think that I definitely learned this summer that you can't assume that everybody else has the same heart as you and the same intentions and
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, I think now watching it back, it's funny because I didn't know, I would say 98% of the things that I'm watching. Like I'm watching and I'm like, Whoa, whoa, whoa. I would have never dated somebody like that. I would have never... There's so many things that... That's just not boyfriend material to me. Like how he moved.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And how I... Who I would date. And who I'm letting so closely into my circle. And I think... with setting boundaries as women, like we have to protect our emotional health, physical health, mental health. Like it isn't just, oh, I don't want you sleeping with anybody else. There's so much more that goes into it. And that was just the one thing that I'm like, look, I'm not going to do that.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I'm not going to share that part of myself with you until I know that we're actually in this together. We're actually putting in efforts. We're actually like being there for each other. You don't get to access that part of me.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So now in hindsight, watching, I'm like, well, yeah, there was definitely a motive, but I didn't give it like a strong, I think there's a big misconception right now that I was like, oh, it's 30 days and like, that's it. Or you're getting cut off.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I'm all of a sudden not going to know any of these people I'll probably run into them or whatever so I really was just whatever my path was I was like that's gonna be for me that's why when I did get the call I was so excited and I really like wasn't expecting it and they were just like yeah we we totally see you fitting in so well like we want that sunshine energy and I was like oh
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. No, to me, it was very like, look at give or take as adults, you know, if you like somebody or you know that you don't. And because our situation was so different where it's like, okay, we are living together. We have other people in the house. I more was just like, okay, we are going to start the summer with seeing what happens. We could end the summer with
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Even that last month being single and like that would be fine. I was just putting out what I'm looking for in a relationship and what I'm looking for in general. I'm not looking for a fling. I'm not looking for a summer romance. I'm not looking for. And if he was that, obviously that would have been so fine. I would have adjusted how I moved. I would have adjusted my expectations.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
But he is saying that he wants the same things as me. And so for me, and he asked me to be exclusive with him like weeks and weeks before he even did it on the show.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So we were already very much exclusive. And he even said that when he asked me, he's like, I know that we've already been exclusive for a long time, but like the official ask, he asked me weeks before, but it wasn't, it wasn't on camera. So he likes to do, redo things.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
He always just kind of like was like, oh, like, I don't know what you're talking about. Or like, oh, I don't believe that. Or he would kind of just be like, oh, I hate that you think that or whatever. But at the end of the day, also think holding people accountable is doing it out of care and love, too. Like I if I didn't care about you, I would just like let you be like, I don't care what you do.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I don't care how you move. But if it's somebody that I care about, I obviously want the best for you. I want to see you grow and I want to see as me too. I hope my people hold me accountable so that I can grow. And yeah, I said it to him multiple times. I was like, look, I feel like you're isolating me. I feel like you're manipulating me. I feel like I'm being gaslit all over the place.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I don't feel like this is fair. I can't like you're saying one thing, doing another. You're two different people on and off camera. He like needed to hang out with me nonstop. It was on and off camera. It was just like it was consuming.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I felt like a possession. Yes. Like I felt like if I didn't fall in line with what he needed from me, then something would happen where now watching back, he would end up just talking shit behind my back.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, I was so excited. Have you watched the show before? I hadn't really watched it. I only tuned into a couple episodes just to kind of get the gist of what is going on. But I didn't want to know too much. I'm like the type of person where I just wanted to know. But that's also like
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
The whole weekend that I was away, I was in Canada because my grandmother was getting cancer treatment. So I was so in the depths of just supporting my grandma and being there for her. And Jesse was FaceTiming me like nonstop. I really felt like that was a weekend that was actually a turning point for our relationship because I was going through something at home and he was calling me nonstop.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
He was texting me nonstop. He was saying, I miss you. And
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
being so affectionate still i felt like that was a turning point for our relationship where i'm like you know what i can trust this person like he is still trying to keep me involved in what's going on in the house so i think um seeing the toe thing for 37 minutes that weekend was crazy and then the fact that he slept in my bed after that and called me after that um so after he got out of that although after those 37 minutes of toe sucking he called you and didn't tell you about it no
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
He was just like, oh, we all went out. And then he there was like a couple stories that kind of like sounded like it could have been the same story. So like originally he told me that he was just with his cousin's friends and he was standing in the doorway. I think that might be a whole different story. I don't know.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
All I know is I can never keep up with what he says because it's so all over the place. And he's been proven to like lie on camera that it's just like it's all so confusing and tangled up. I don't.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
i don't even know what does your gut tell you happened in those 37 minutes i mean i feel like what are you doing there for 37 minutes even even just sitting on the bed did you ever ask so yeah he has his back yeah i think at the end of the day like i think bro code i don't know i honestly don't know but what i do know is that jesse walked into a room of three naked people that were dtf Yeah.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. I just think that there's so much that I've seen, even just the fact that the people that he was always going to to say these things.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. And it was like 30, like a week. And like, I would get sent so much because obviously having an Instagram following and people, people are interested. People are always being, and because we were kind of caught kissing at a nightclub, people knew that something was going on there. So I was just sent so many screenshots.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And originally I didn't think anything of it because I was like, oh, whatever. Like I trust him. We're in a relationship, whatever. But or some sort of relationship. But then it got to the point where after the toe thing and after like I was catching him in like some some lies, I was like,
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
okay, maybe this is something that I should put weight into and maybe I should go and look and not just go in with my eyes completely closed to this situation. And then he would just always say to me anytime that I would have those conversations with him, he would just be like, I haven't had a relationship in so long. Like I've only really had one relationship when it was when I was a teenager.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Please be patient with me. Like, please, I want to change for you. Like I'm trainable. I like, I want you to bring this stuff up to me so that I can change and be in a relationship with you. So that's genuinely what I thought I was doing. I thought that I was just giving him these little pointers like, hey, just so you know, that's not how somebody in a relationship moves.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And then he would change it. And that was not what was going on from now what I'm watching.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, I think Jesse's inappropriate with, and it's just all bad. Like, it's not fair. Even from the first episode that I saw him talking about me behind my back being like, oh, oh, her butt. Oh, this. Like, I don't love that he, I feel like, hyper-sexualizes every female. Like, to me, and again, that's not somebody that I would have been in a relationship with.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
That's not who he showed up to in front of my face. So it was difficult watching that, obviously, because I'm like, Ew. I just forgot. He asked you if you were dumb. Yeah. The first episode. I totally forgot about that. Which I feel like is so messed up because being a new person on the show, episode one, that was our first dinner together. No, that was crazy.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And he set the tone for me and where everybody was just like, oh, you're ditzy. Oh, you're the ditzy one. Oh, you're going to be just like this bitch.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
dummy and it did set a tone like i was getting so many messages being like oh you're just ditzy and it did take away when it's like okay well actually i've been a businesswoman since i was 11 bitch yeah like what were you doing jesse at 17 you're definitely like i said when we started this episode you know like i think people i do you mean do you feel like people underestimate you a lot because i feel like you're someone who people could often underestimate
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, 100%. I definitely feel like I have lived so many different lives and I have so much knowledge, even just traveling by myself for so long and having situations where I've been so lonely and you have to figure it out. And as much as, again, I'm so close to my family, I'm so lucky for their support. There's so many times where as a model, your family isn't with you all the time.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Even with my family and I working together now, I lived on my own until I was 26. And then my sister moved to America. So even just there's so much that goes into that whole situation. Like you can't even bring your credit from Canada to America. So there isn't like there really isn't a choice. But for us all, like with from my sister and I have to have an apartment together right now.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And like there's just so many moving pieces that I think sometimes people are committed to misunderstanding. I think Jesse setting the tone that I was ditzy.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
just said it and i'm like okay well being happy and being taking life and actually just rolling with the punches and learning from it and taking everything as a positive that's not ditzy yeah that's actually very smart well you know what just let people underestimate you it's it's um
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
come at me how they felt they wanted to or open up to me with what they wanted to so it was really just an authentic friendship instead of me having any ideas of anyone what did your mom and sister say when you were like i got this i'm going on tv They are so supportive. My entire family, like they've always been so supportive of my career.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
growing up watching my mom and dad communicate with each other was always such a blessing that they were always very they're going to communicate about anything even in front of us because they're like these are skills that you have to know how to communicate with your partner you have to know how to communicate in general when you are upset or when you are sad or when there's a situation that you're trying to navigate and how you if you are calm then you actually get to a better end result and it's faster and you're taken more seriously and that
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It does suck that I think people, when you are so caught in the moment, you can get so upset, which makes so much sense. But sometimes if you just take yourself back for a minute and be like, let me process, how do I want to execute this conversation? How do I want to like actually deliver this and have it received? Because at the end of the day, also so many people are so different.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And I think that it's important to execute how you think is going to be heard. Because sometimes when you are so upset, it's just not heard. It's not hurt at all. And that's a sad truth. But the more hurt you are, the less people hear you.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And they're always like, OK, like, look, if you want to do this, that's amazing. We'll support you how we can and be there for you. And definitely, especially this summer, they were there for me a lot because obviously there was so much confusion. I'd come home and be like, guys, what the hell is going on right now? So, yeah, they were amazing.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So Amanda and I got drinks before we even went into the house. And she was like, obviously amazing. She's like, oh, my God, we were literally yelling down the street like, I love you. So excited. And then the warmest welcome, obviously, because Amanda knew I was going in and Kyle knew I was going in. Kyle was great.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
With their relationship, honestly, you're going to have to ask them because I think she's asked me not to speak good or bad.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yes. So I think I can only speak about how I felt. I didn't ever see any of it. It was never done in front of my face, so I actually had no opinion. Yeah, I didn't know anything.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I just want to respect what she wants, but I will say.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
She talked about me last weekend on Watch What Happens Live. What'd she say? There was a birthday situation, which I think the entire situation is I basically put in our group chat. That and like I it's a group chat. It's all of us have it to that. I'm having a birthday party. Anybody wants to come? Some of our cast was out of town, so they obviously couldn't.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Then some of our cast showed up and they didn't. Her and Jesse didn't answer. And that's just a fact. But also, I didn't think anything that was weird. She's never answered a text message from me. So I've just never thought anything was weird of that. But then Jesse posted that they got lunch the day of my birthday party. So I was asked a question. I don't know. I'm not.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I was asked a question on an interview if their Coachella pictures upset me. I said no, because they post like that all the time. And my birthday was also like two weeks after we left the house. So it was all like still pretty fresh. So I think it hurt me then. But again, like I have pictures. Jesse posted photos. He posted a story of them getting lunch.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
She might have said it was like a lie. Yeah, she did, which it's not because I have screenshots. And it's, again, what Jesse is saying. I honestly think I will. I've been saying this and I will always say it. I will forever blame Jesse for all of that. with her and I, but I can't comment on anything about their relationship because I don't know what it is.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I was hearing of that conversation. It seemed like she was like, well, yeah, we got lunch. But I don't I don't know what her all I was doing was commenting if their Coachella pictures hurt me and they didn't. So I have no idea. I don't know. All I know is that it's her friend, Jesse, that posted it. And it was not me. That's him. What he posts is out of my control.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
He called me before and was just giving me like pep talk, running me through how things kind of work. And then Lindsay. Lindsay was the warmest. Immediately, she just came. Yes. She came over to me and hugged me immediately. And I don't know. There was just something about her that was so warm with me right away. It has been nice to see that. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Jesse didn't necessarily react. communicated how it actually was like jesse always was miscommunicating my boundaries making it seem like crazier than yes yeah so i honestly i think that jesse manipulated every single person in the house gaslit every single person in the house and it's really disheartening to like watch back because i did feel so misunderstood and all summer.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And now I obviously understand why I did feel distant. I did feel isolated and all of these things, but obviously I do understand. And I do think that he was purposely, I mean, I can't, I don't know, but I do think that he miscommunicated so many different things and it did draw a wedge between me and
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
a lot of people in the house on like I don't think that they purposely everybody else in the house purposely put up a wall but I think naturally when one person is making somebody look crazy then they'd be like okay weird yeah and I do think that he did that he miscommunicated a lot of things
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, I think obviously all the health stuff, that's awful. And I think he's so strong for dealing with that. And his family is so strong for dealing with that. And that would be so hard. I personally think he's, from my experience with him, he's a lot smarter than his goofy ways are. And I think that the whole philosophy of like, oh, boys will be boys. I don't live by that philosophy.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I think, no, they have men have an animal instinct to protect what they care for. And I think that sometimes he hides over the boys will be boys philosophy. I'm just tall and goofy. I'm like, I'm just the frat boy. We're adults now. You're not. And I think that he knows that. And I think he is very calculated.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I in my experience, he is very he knows he knows how to comment on things and who to comment on. And where and when he should communicate things so that there is misunderstandings and so that there is disconnections and so that there is I I personally believe that from my experience with him.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So like how what's the truth? So he asked me to meet his parents like the first week we met. He's like, it's my mom's birthday. They're coming in August 7th. I want you to meet them. So I was like, OK. And he wanted me to go to his family reunion. And then he was like, that's, you know what? We actually haven't like.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. He's like, I wish that you could just come to my family reunion. And like, I was going to Toronto that week. So I, that was like never going to be a thing. I was, I was busy. But it was always a thing from the first week to meet his parents. He even said that in the kitchen to the guys. He's like, well, I mean, like it was always, she was always supposed to meet my family.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Until the morning we were at his house and I was going back to my house and he was like, oh, I talked to somebody on the phone and they don't think that I should meet. You should meet my parents. And I was like, well, they're not in our relationship. Like, do you want me to meet your parents? And he's like, yes. So I was like, okay, well, I want to meet your parents. This was always a plan.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So I originally moved to America when I was 17. I moved to Miami and then LA and then New York and then back to LA and then Paris and then London. You lived in Paris?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
You've met my parents. If you want me to meet them, I would love to meet them. And he says, no, I would love for you to meet my parents. Who's on the phone? Sierra? Yeah, that's what, again, he. His version. Yes.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I genuinely don't know if that even ever happened. Now watching it almost kind of seems like Wes said it and maybe, I don't know.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Exactly. Yeah, where he likes to say certain things happened that didn't or like he likes to switch stories. So yeah, that was, it honestly didn't feel like that big of a deal to me. Like it didn't feel like it was like a no, I'm so like what he was communicating when I watched. I was like, whoa, that was not my experience. It was you said that somebody's saying I shouldn't, but you want me to.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So what works for our relationship that you and I are in?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I felt crazy all summer. If I'm going to be totally real, every interaction that I had, I was like, I'm emotionally exhausted.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yes. And I'm like, because I actually am a chill person, just with boundaries, God forbid. Right. Honestly, I would go home. And be like, am I nuts? Like, be so for real with me. Like, my family and stuff, I'd be like, no, am I nuts? Like, please tell me. Like, I felt like every single thing that I did was wrong. Every single time I would say anything, it was wrong.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Even with the whole him and Sierra flirting thing. I didn't see it. It was everybody else in the house that told me it.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And then even just with him flirting with everyone in general, it was them that said I should talk to him about it. So I did. And then I'm wrong for talking to him about it in his eyes. And there was so much that I was like, guys, I don't know what to do. He's my closest person in the house. Unfortunately, like I didn't know how to navigate it.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I didn't know if I was going nuts, but I felt like I was going crazy. I felt emotionally exhausted. I felt gaslit all summer in every situation. I had no idea what was going on. I was so confused. Like in real time, you felt gaslit or looking back? Yeah. No, even in real time, I was like, I feel in my gut that this is all messed up.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Only a couple months because it was the first place that I ever moved with modeling. Were you in a model's apartment? Yes. But in Europe, it's different. You kind of like live with a host. So then I ended up moving out of that apartment within like the first 24 hours and just getting my own kind of.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
But how everything is, it's kind of like what he would say and then everybody else's actions, it aligned. Like it was like everything always aligned. And so I was like, okay, maybe I am...
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
We're definitely going to air this. Blamed me? I haven't even talked to this man.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
i am honestly always so confused and i'll always say that i'm always so confused by him because like a couple weeks ago i think he went on another podcast and i was like oh no lexi's lying about the whole she said i told her that she was flirting with west babe it's on tv no we literally watch it you had your mics on actually they played it back well you know listen we watched it
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I didn't read your response, but... I think I am just a girl. And, you know, when you cross girls, we turn into FBI agents. We have screenshots and we have a lot of things. And I don't necessarily... Well, I don't really speak on anything unless I have proof. So I think he's probably realizing that. Hopefully. He is like, I don't need to keep saying that she is lying because she's not.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And he's been caught in a lot of lies on TV. And people are like now on the internet, like probably placing it together, being like, oh, well, yeah, I actually said this. And then he likes to switch it. I think when people can no longer, when certain people can no longer control you, they like to control the narrative around you.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And I think that that's what he thought he was doing until everybody watching was seeing exactly how I felt. And I think that he doesn't like that. And because you guys are so great and you guys do hold people accountable and because you guys do have open conversations about everything, I think he might not be able to keep track of every lie he's already said. And he doesn't like to...
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Well, you guys ask hard questions, but then you guys also respect if I'm like, oh, I can't comment on that. And then you guys are like, okay, cool. Let's try to see what we can communicate through it. But if you can't, then you can't. But at the end of the day, I have nothing to hide. So that's why I was pumped to be here.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
A host. Yeah, but I was really lucky because I was 17. My sister went to Paris with me because I technically wasn't allowed to travel that far by myself. So she came to Paris with me, and that was really fun to navigate that together. But when we told our parents... I think it was like, I have to, I think it was like a week. I was like, so we're gonna move to Paris next week.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
At all. Yeah. I, again, even, like, the West conversation in the kitchen, like, I'm not present for any of that stuff. I'm not present for it. So I had no idea. And, like, that's what he was saying on camera. What he was saying off camera is... equally as confusing and going around. And I honestly felt like I was in a dryer just getting thrown around all summer. I was like, what? What way is up?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
What is going on? Who am I trusting? All of my trust just with every single thing was so put to the test all summer. I didn't trust anything or anyone by the end of it. I was like, okay, yeah, no. I'm like, we got to all restart, guys. Can we restart the summer? I'm so confused.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, I'm so grateful for this entire opportunity and like I would love to go back. I feel like I have so much more to share that isn't just relationship chaos. I am so happy that I was able to share that side of me where you can be calm and put up boundaries and show young girls and guys that you can have boundaries and you can execute it really calmly and demand respect.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And I'm so grateful for that. But I also feel like Moving forward, I have so much more to share just about myself and about how I navigate all different types of relationships and how I have so much fun in the summertime. But I think with Jesse, he's shown on the show That's not somebody that I would ever choose as my friend. So that being said, though, I don't care. I'm indifferent about him.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And it was the day of my 17th birthday that we ended up moving. And my parents were like, okay, look, we support you again with whatever. I don't think my mom slept at all. Poor girl. Obviously. She's like, I'm a mother. I need to be awake at all times if you're awake. Especially with the time difference. She was like. You're awake and I'm asleep. I can't do it. We're like going to set.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I think he did what he did. He's an adult. Those are adult decisions that you make. That's on you. That's not on me. I moved with grace. I moved with love. I moved with forgiveness. I moved with so many different things. Did I probably forgive one too many times? Yeah. But that's who I am. And moving forward, yeah, like I don't think about him. What he does is none of my business.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Am I going to be cold? I don't think indifference is cold or warm.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
yeah and they're just like oh yes you of course how are you going are you and you fake nice because you don't want to be a dick because you really just don't remember or care yeah I think for me like I don't ever really want to be in a room alone with him because I don't necessarily trust that he's not going to lie about something but other than that like I don't
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
think about him he can do whatever he wants he can I don't care you know what I mean like that was a relationship that was bad and can I learn from that yeah did I grow from that yeah did I realize like that setting boundaries is so important and fun and Yeah. I learned so much and like that's all I can really ask for.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And I really did learn that like you can't just assume that people have the same intentions and heart and like heart as you. And that's OK. Keep on moving on.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It was actually so funny. So Gabby and I were in the kitchen. I was like, it was a continuation of me crying in my bedroom when we were eating popcorn. And I was just like watching them. And I was like, I'm so mad. So mad at you guys right now. Because I'm like, first of all, that sounds like a hoot. But I'm inside crying and eating popcorn. And this isn't fair. Yeah. I'm like, this is not fair.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
And yeah, it was crazy. But I remember my modeling agency handed me a subway map. This first second that I landed, they were like, you have a casting in one hour. Figure it out. I was like, okay.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate that. And thank you so much for having me. This has been so much fun. I'm so glad that I'm here.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah. You guys can follow me on Instagram at Lexi Wood. TikTok Lexi Wood X. Couldn't get Lexi Wood. I have a podcast with my mom and sister called Six and Nine. And then I'm coming out with my lingerie collection with Hanky Panky this fall.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
on hankypanky.com and just following me through socials and i'll keep you all updated and yeah i'm so excited for everything we did see you quickly um show up in the next episode with jesse did you all ride together what's happening there really quickly just a quick question like i said i'm a forgiving person one too many times yes of course so um but there's strangely so
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yes, I think that he needs to get real with himself, do a lot of inner work that I don't know if he's ready to even look that far inward for. But through my experience, I wouldn't tell my worst enemy to date him. right now where he's at. And I think I would love for him to be honest with himself.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Like, I think I honestly will say, I think him rule was so cool coming in and being like, look at, I've been in long. Fuck. Yes. I've been in long-term relationships. That's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for play parties. I'm looking for fun. I'm looking for sex. And I think that because he's so honest with himself and he's looked really inward. And I think Jesse needs to reflect as well.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I had an agency in Toronto. And then agents from all over the world would fly in and do like a casting with all the models that were in the agency. And then they would just sign you one by one if they liked you. So when I was younger, they signed me pretty much immediately in like Paris, New York, Germany, Miami, L.A., Yeah. That's funny. It was so fun.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Well, I started at 11. I'm 27 now. Yeah. And then I started kind of doing like the traveling and moving out when I was 17. So 10 years ago.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Well, it's funny because the paychecks, they are nice. But when I was like 18, I lived off $50 a week. And I literally in my model apartment, I slept in the kitchen with another model on like day beds. So it's the paychecks can be nice. But also you have to put in like a lot of hard work and you're living with strangers. And so it can also be kind of rough.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
But my dreams were like Victoria's Secret Angel, Marc Jacobs campaigns, Sports Illustrated. And yeah.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Honestly, I don't even think that I can pick at this point because I'm so lucky. I am such an open person. I really believe that like everybody that I meet, I'm like, you're part of my family now. And so every single job is just such an honor. And like, I feel like I never have a moment where I'm like, oh my God, pinched like
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
like oh my god pinch me i can't believe that i get to do this another day and i can't believe that i've had so much like longevity in this industry there's literally not one job that i'm like that was better than another for me because i'm just so lucky and i'm so short which was difficult i'm like yes okay yeah how tall are you i think i actually have my notes here five six
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I really appreciate that. Yeah, I think that it's really important. Like, I am definitely fun and nice and I always lead with that, but also don't mess with me. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I definitely feel like so because I my peers were always adults. So whether it was the creative director, the stylist, they were always so much older than me. So I definitely feel like it made me grow up fast in some ways. But my parents were always so great because like I could always go back home and they were never they never really put pressure on me.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
They're like, look, at the end of the day, like we support you in whatever you want to do. But there's definitely situations where you're like, OK, like most kids when they're 17 are like annoyed that their parents aren't getting them the newest iPhone. And I'm like, OK, when am I navigating? Yeah. Once my paycheck's coming in, dealing with immigration, like
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
dealing with lawyers and doing all this stuff where, yeah, most 17-year-olds don't have to deal with that. They're not. That's how I felt too.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I feel like it hasn't affected either, like give or take. I feel like a couple years ago when I started working with my mom and sister and I felt like that was like kind of my time to be more in the other end of the industry where I'm coming out the lingerie collection in collaboration with Hanky Panky and I'm doing more of the business side of it as well.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Yeah, so I feel like honestly it hasn't, I haven't noticed a big difference if it's impacted me in a positive or negative way. But either way, I'm so lucky for this opportunity because I do feel like there is something I actually am just so like normal and relatable. And like, I love sharing that side of me. I love sharing that you can be really soft, but also really, really strong.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
I love sharing so many different like parts of me where I think modeling is so one dimensional. And it's great. And I'm so lucky for all of those opportunities. But there's so much more to me. And have so much personality and so much to give that I'm really lucky that I feel like I've been able to share more of that on the reality space.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
It does. And I feel like I'm in this space in my life right now where that's really what I'm craving. Like I'm craving connection. I'm craving to actually have people be like, oh, wait, I see myself in her. And I feel like with modeling, you do fit in a box of what other people put on you. They're like, OK, you're going to be this type of model.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
So I have been in the industry since I was 11. And I actually ended up meeting Amanda a couple years ago, just like a brand event. We sat next to each other and immediately bonded. Ironically, it was in the Hamptons. And so she actually asked me that night, she was like, would you ever go on like this show that I do? And at the time, I didn't know anyone else on it or so I was like, no.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Whether you like it or not, like that's who you are in our heads. And there's no way that you're going to get out of that. Whereas when I started working with my mom and sister as well, I feel like that was the first time in my industry, in my career, and that I felt like I actually had a voice in who I am and the image of myself that I want to put out and what jobs.
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Like I remember saying no to jobs because it just wasn't authentic. And at the end of the day, I'm like, my name is who I am. And if I'm lying all the time and just being like, okay, yeah, give me this job for a paycheck. Where is that authenticity? And that just didn't feel good with me, but then my agents would get so upset at me. Like, what do you mean you're turning down this money?
The Viall Files
E929 – Going Deeper with Lexi Wood
Because it's not authentic. I'm like, well, it's not authentic, so I'm not doing it. But now with my mom and sister, I feel like it's the first time in my career where I actually have a voice and they're like, no, we respect that you have boundaries and we respect that you have boundaries.