Tom Sandoval looked back at the encounter he had with Ariana Madix after she discovered his months-long affair with their Vanderpump Rules co-star and friend, Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, during an interview shared on Tuesday.
Sandoval, 41, claimed Ariana, 38, hit him after coming across a video of him and Raquel on FaceTime, shared his thoughts on Raquel potentially returning to Pump Rules, and compared the backlash he received over “Scandoval” to the hate That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson, 47, received following his rape conviction.
“I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he’s a convicted rapist,” Sandoval shared during a February 20 interview with The New York Times.
As Pump Rules fans will recall, Sandoval and Raquel’s affair was exposed in March 2023 after Ariana saw their NSF FaceTime clip on Sandoval’s phone during a visit to TomTom.
Looking back, Sandoval recalled Ariana’s reaction, claiming she ripped off his necklace and split open his lip.
“She beat my a**,” he alleged.
But up until recently, he and his ex-girlfriend remained living together at their $2 million home in Los Angeles.
“It took her a while to not be spiteful about the house,” he explained.
Although there have been rumors suggesting “Scandoval” was created for that very purpose, Sandoval insisted he “would’ve never participated in that.” Instead, he appeared to credit a midlife crisis for his decision to cheat.
“You know when you just feel like you don’t know what’s cool anymore, and you’re past your prime and a little bit of a joke?” he asked.
“I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life,” he continued. “I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like, for real.”
Despite what he’s gone through in recent months due to “Scandoval,” Sandoval said he’s honored to be a part of Pump Rules.
“The scandal has made the show so big, it’s kind of cool and crazy,” he said. “Even though it’s negative and at my expense.”
Admitting to suffering from depression, Sandoval said the status of his mental health was “somewhat show-related.”
“It’s hard,” he shared. “It has its fun moments, but for the most part it sucks. I’ve been buzzed through most of it … Our show can be toxic to film and very stressful.”
That said, Sandoval will continue on with the show for as long as he can.
“As long as people are interested and we’re being honest in our feels,” he stated.
Regarding his own future, Sandoval was hoping to participate in a residency at the Chippendales show in Las Vegas later this year, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
“I’m in really good shape right now,” he said. “It’s frustrating because, you know, everybody cashed in. Everybody won on this. The cast, the execs, the network — everybody made so much money. But I try to put it on myself, to make the best opportunity out of it that I can.”
“There are minimal brands that want to be associated with someone who’s thought of as a cheater,” his manager, Ryan Revel, noted.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
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