Not having it. Ariana Madix‘s friend Jared Lipscomb slammed Tom Sandoval for making a joke about cancer during his bombshell interview with Howie Mandel.
“My blood is boiling. What a f–king coward. How dare he?” the makeup artist said in an Instagram video on Wednesday, April 12. “I don’t care if it’s a joke in poor taste, f–k you. You are a coward. You are weak, and to compare what people go through in radiation during treatment [to Scandoval]? F–k you, you coward. You are scum.”
Lipscomb was referring to a portion of Sandoval’s Tuesday, April 11, interview on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast. At one point, the comedian, 67, told the bartender, 40, that “what doesn’t kill you make stronger,” referring to the aftermath of his split from Madix, 37, and affair with Raquel Leviss.
“Like radiation,” Sandoval quipped in reply, before immediately backtracking. “I’m just kidding, that’s a bad joke.”
Mandel agreed, adding, “Yeah, that was a bad joke.”
Lipscomb, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019, was particularly incensed by Sandoval’s comments. “I am so disgusted by this video and his little quip,” he continued on Wednesday. “I had 12 rounds of radiation. I thought that was gonna f–king kill me.”
The screenwriter went on to say that he hadn’t “wanted to say much about scum” since news broke that Sandoval had a months-long affair with Leviss, 28. “I’m focusing on the positive of my amazing friend, who was actually by my side along with so many other friends during my cancer journey,” Lipscomb told his followers before slamming the TomTom co-owner for his lack of support. “The only two times this f–ker showed up was when there was cameras around. So, f–k you.”
Lipscomb also called out Sandoval for his “victim mentality,” calling it “pathetic” and saying he knows toddlers with more emotional strength. “F–k you, Tom Sandoval,” Lipscomb concluded. “I can’t even believe I considered you a friend.”
Us Weekly confirmed on March 3 that the Schwartz & Sandy’s cofounder and Madix had called it quits after nine years together following the revelation that Sandoval was having an affair with their Vanderpump Rules costar Leviss.
Earlier this week, Sandoval told his side of the story on Mandel’s podcast, claiming that he initially broke up with his Fancy AF Cocktails coauthor in February. He also alleged that he and Madix had been having problems since last year.
“Our communication was not great,” the Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras frontman told Mandel. “I feel like that’s a fault on both of us. Especially this past year or so, we’ve both been dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression. We handle it very differently.”
The Missouri native also blamed a lack of sexual intimacy for trouble in his relationship with Madix. “My confidence was zapped,” he said before describing what a partner could have expected with him during this period. “Your sexual experience with me would be maybe a 19-year-old [on] his second time. I had no mojo, no game anymore. That was what I felt reduced to.”
Madix has yet to publicly comment on her ex’s claims, but their Pump Rules costars didn’t hesitate to call him out for the interview. Lala Kent took issue with the fact that Sandoval named her as one of the people using the scandal as “content” for their podcasts.
“I profited off of me saying funny s—t, OK?” the Give Them Lala author, 32, said in an Instagram Story on Tuesday. “And also, by the way, I profited off my own f–king heartbreak. What makes you think I ain’t about to profit off yours?”
Jax Taylor, who exited Pump Rules in December 2020, also accused his former costar of “playing the victim” during the sit-down.
“He hasn’t owned up to anything, he’s justifying everything,” he said during a Tuesday appearance on Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap digital series. “I mean, that’s not a man in my opinion. If you are man enough to do what you’ve done, you should be man enough to own up to what you’ve done and at least have some empathy and apologize to Ariana.”
