It truly is all happening: Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules is kicking up major drama after a sleepy last couple of seasons with a significant cheating scandal involving castmates Raquel Leviss, Tom Sandoval, and his now-ex girlfriend, Ariana Madix—and things just keep getting messier.
TMZ broke the news on Friday that Sandoval and Madix called it quits after nine years together, reporting that Madix had only very recently discovered that Sandoval cheated on her with Leviss, and with that revelation, immediately ended the connection. But further reporting from People magazine claimed that Sandoval and Leviss had been having a full-blown affair behind Madix’s back for six months—and that cameras are rolling as this all unfolds, with the intent to incorporate the breakup and all its fallout in the present season, which is airing now.
But first, let’s back up—here’s the whole lot it’s worthwhile to find out about the key scandal consuming the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills spin-off.
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What’s the backstory?
Buckle up. Sandoval and Madix each began on the show as bartenders at Lisa Vanderpump’s sexy unique restaurant in West Hollywood, SUR. While other scandals and partner swaps rocked the show—Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Jax Taylor, and his wife, Brittany Cartwright left the show after allegations of racist behavior against a former forged member in 2020—Sandoval and Madix were viewed because the bedrock relationship on the show. The couple, but Madix specifically, all the time form of floated above the drama that consumed their more volatile castmates; they joked about acting like an old married couple.
But there had been signs of trouble on the horizon. In January 2019, Madix said Sandoval “betrayed my trust” after he told friends that Madix had connected with one other castmate, Lala Kent, in his automobile.
Sandoval and Madix on the season 10 premiere party.
Bravo
“My sexuality just isn’t something that is supposed to sound cool to a bunch of dudes,” she said on a confessional on the show. The couple was capable of move past it after Sandoval apologized at home.
Earlier within the show, there had been other, less-substantiated rumors about Sandoval cheating. Back in season 3—Sandoval and Madix announced they were officially together in the course of the season 2 reunion—Sandoval’s ex, Kristen Doute, accused him of cheating with a lady in Miami, whom the forged dubbed “Miami girl.” Doute engineered bringing the lady from Florida to SUR to force a confrontation with Madix; Madix, for her part, said she never believed the story.
What set the stage for season 10?
As the latest, now-airing season of the show opened, Leviss was newly single after her engagement to DJ James “the White Kanye” Kennedy, one other Pump Rules castmate, was called off. Kennedy moved on quickly with recent girlfriend Ally, whom he’s been bringing around SUR, where Leviss still works, so viewers were generally feeling sympathetic toward Leviss. It was also revealed that, as was long speculated, Kent and Kennedy did cheat on their then-partners, Leviss and Randall Emmett. In earlier seasons, Leviss all the time felt like something was up between Kennedy and Kent—in a single confrontation between the 2 women, Kent branded Leviss a “Bambi-eyed bitch”—so it gave the look of Leviss was finally vindicated. Just before the cheating drama broke, Leviss said in an interview that Madix and Shay “were those that basically embraced me into this group and have been there for me since day one.”
Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz, also once considered an endgame relationship on the show, have gotten divorced, with each of them attempting to navigate each single life and trying to take care of a friendship. (One stated reason for the divorce? Schwartz’s deal with his recent bar-restaurant business enterprise, Schwartz & Sandy’s, with Sandoval and other business partners.)
But Maloney and Schwartz’s fledgling friendship is seemingly complicated by Schwartz hooking up with Leviss, allegedly at forged member Scheana Shay’s August 2022 wedding to Brock Davies. Since then, Leviss had posted herself multiple times wearing merch for the Toms’ first shared bar, the Vanderpump-backed TomTom, and usually being a bit messy.
Scheana Shay claims Maloney gave the Schwartz-Leviss fling her full “blessing” on a visit to Vegas; but on a recent episode, Maloney denies she offered her blessing, accuses Shay of forcing Schwartz and Leviss together, and calls Shay a “shitty person.” (Consequently of the present scandal, fans at the moment are questioning whether the entire narrative of Schwartz and Leviss getting together was fabricated as cover for a relationship between Sandoval and Leviss.)
There was also a dustup during promo for season 10 when it was suggested Sandoval and Madix were in an open relationship. Madix tweeted on the time from her now-deactivated account: “We dont have an open relationship. i’m really not that cool. thought that was obvious.”
Tell me the whole lot we all know in regards to the cheating scandal.
Here’s what’s been reported to date: In keeping with People, Madix discovered in regards to the cheating on Wednesday, March 1, while supporting Sandoval at a show for his band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras. While at an L.A. venue, she saw a sexually explicit photo from Leviss pop up on Sandoval’s phone. (In keeping with the unverified celeb gossip IG DeuxMoi, it was allegedly a video of a FaceTime sex session between the pair.) Madix scrolled further, reportedly cluing her in to how long this had been happening.
“This has been happening for upwards of 6 months—all of the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed,” one source told People. “She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn’t even scratch the surface of how she feels.”
The magazine’s source added: “That is someone she thought she knew; someone she planned to spend the remaining of her life with. You’ll be able to’t even put into words that betrayal.”
A second source told Those who Madix “had no idea any of this was happening behind her back.” Meanwhile, the identical day in Recent York City, Leviss and Shay appeared for a taping of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Through the show, Leviss defended posting photos with Schwartz, saying, “I’m just attempting to live my life and I’m sorry if that offends people.”
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Raquel Leviss Explains Why She Was Suddenly Into Tom Schwartz | WWHL
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But as People reported, citing a 3rd source, Leviss admitted the reality about her and Sandoval to Shay after the taping, and Shay was “furious.”
“She and all of the Vanderpump Rules costars have rallied around Ariana during this time. They will’t imagine Raquel would do something like that,” the source said.
Sandoval and his band had one other gig the night the news broke in Orange County, CA. Kennedy posted a video urging ticket holders to bring tomatoes and cabbages to throw, and Kent posted Instagram Stories encouraging the audience to “bust right into a chant—ARIANA!”, while also revealing she had Madix’s OK to go after Sandoval.
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For what it’s value, it does seem to be fans caused a little bit little bit of trouble in a video captured on the show, yelling “cheater” and “Ariana,” to which Sandoval responded, “We love her.”
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For the reason that cheating allegations broke, eagle-eyed online sleuths noticed Sandoval and Leviss have for months been wearing what seem like matching lightning bolt necklaces.
Madix has also deactivated her Instagram account after the breakup became public.
What does Tom Sandoval must say for himself?
On Saturday, Sandoval put out an announcement on Instagram—with comments off—asking fans to take their anger out on him, not Schwartz or his business partners, which appeared to confirm the cheating allegations. Notably, and far to the dismay of each fans and his co-stars, Sandoval didn’t mention or apologize to Madix.
“I fully understand and deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz my family and friends out of this example…This was a really personal thing,” he wrote, happening to say he’d be taking “a step back” and “a hiatus” from the brand new business.
The identical day, Schwartz & Sandy’s posted an announcement (also with the comments turned off) asking fans to not take out their ire on the newly opened restaurant.
“In light of the recent news we appreciate the numerous words of support but we also understand the outpouring of concern that has been directed towards our business. Nonetheless, those of us who should not famous have dedicated our time, hearts and money to make this restaurant a reality,” the statement read. “We too are disillusioned by the present situation, as Ariana has all the time been an excellent friend and great supporter of the restaurant…but pleasure understand that the livelihoods of others also depend upon this business, there are way more people involved on this enterprise than simply Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.”
At his band’s show on Friday, US Weekly reported Sandoval also asked the gang: “Have you ever ever been one of the hated people in America?”
And despite being spotted leaving the home he shares with Madix toting suitcases the day after the breakup, Sandoval’s rep told E! that he has not moved out.
How has the remaining of the Vanderpump Rules forged responded?
Schwartz stays mum on the drama, along with his last IG post being a #spon video with Sandoval promoting a giveaway with Hydroxycut weight reduction pills. Madix and Leviss have yet to publicly comment.
Everyone that’s spoken out has been firmly #TeamAriana, including Maloney, Shay, and Doute, who posted two videos in support of Madix, including one where she says, “I stan Ariana. That is in real-time. I like you a lot.”
Current Rules forged member Charli Burnett—who hasn’t engendered much goodwill this season—also hit back hard after Leviss’s sister got here after her on Twitter, seeming to allege that a forged member was violent with Leviss.
Madix’s brother, Jeremy, who has also been on the show, commented on one in every of Kennedy’s Instagram posts to defend his sister and fire back at Sandoval, Leviss, and the show normally, writing, per US Weekly, “Toms a try hard having a midlife crisis along with his cringy band and Raquel has faked her option to the highest.”
“This lifestyle and this group is beyond toxic and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone…All only for clout from a corny ass network like BravoTV 😂,” he continued. “Sell out type lame shit. Let’s all keep in mind that Raquel was a fan of the show before all of this. Does anyone concentrate?”
Even Taylor, formerly the “primary guy on this group,” got in on the pile-on.
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How do Lisa Vanderpump and Andy Cohen feel about all this?
The doyenne of SUR/TomTom/PUMP/Vanderpump Cocktail Garden/Vanderpump à Paris semi-joked that she’s unsure her heart is as much as what could thoroughly be a 10-part VPR reunion special.
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Ummm one…I’m unsure my heart is as much as it.
— Lisa Vanderpump (@LisaVanderpump) March 4, 2023
Bravo King Andy Cohen replied:
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You will have time to get a pacemaker because I NEED YOU
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) March 4, 2023
But Vanderpump had earlier retweeted a message about how viewership of the show is up, so behind closed doors, she’s probably smiling just like the cat that ate the canary.
Cohen, for his part, stirred the pot over the weekend, including by posting an Instagram video saying he’s “as riveted and upset and fascinated with the Scandaval as all of you,” also revealing that Vanderpump could be his guest on WWHL this Wednesday.
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Will all of the cheating drama be on season 10?
In keeping with reports, the reply is yes. Entertainment Tonight reported, citing a source near production, that cameras are back up and rolling to capture all the continued fallout, with plans to incorporate all of it as a part of season 10. E! News also reported cameras were back up and trained on the ex-couple.
On his radio show today, Cohen also confirmed that the Pump Rules reunion is about to film in two weeks.
