Tom Sandoval went on Howie Mandel’s podcast, Howie Mandel Does Stuff, on April 11 and shared his true feelings about his recent scandal. Back in March, the star admitted to cheating on his partner of almost 10 years, Ariana Madix with their Vanderpump Rules co-star Raquel Leviss, shocking fans. On the podcast with Mandel, he claimed his almost decade-long relationship with Madix was “lacking intimacy [and] connection.” Her Campus reached out to Madix’s team for comment on the new claims from the podcast, but didn’t hear back by the time of publication.
He went on to share the story of his first kiss with Raquel Leviss, which he claims happened in the backyard of his home that he shares with Madix. (The two exes are currently still sharing the house, which Sandoval said wasn’t great at first, but something that works now because they have “a lot of space.”)
According to Sandoval, he still loves Madix, and he and Leviss are taking a break and just friends at the moment. He also said he attempted to break up with Madix on Valentine’s Day before news of the affair came out, to which he said she was in denial about, and according to him, she attempted to punch him.
Sandoval said Madix learned about this affair in early March while at an L.A. venue supporting Sandoval’s band. According to Sandoval, while he and Madix had been drifting apart relationship-wise, they stayed together mostly for optics.
Season 10 of the Vanderpump Rules is airing now, and future episodes will no doubt reflect these messy developments. For those unfamiliar with the series, it’s a popular reality TV show on Bravo that’s been airing since 2013. It came first as a spinoff from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, featuring Lisa Vanderpump and the staff of her SUR Restaurant & Lounge in West Hollywood.
Bravo apparently didn’t know Sandoval would be speaking about the affair, and it caused issues for the producers. It’s unclear what consequences Sandoval may deal with for taking the interview. One thing is for sure: I am unwell over his comments.