Cause for concern. Stassi Schroeder has some major questions about the lack of remorse from Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval after they were caught having an affair.
“I mean it’s kind of terrifying. Honestly, I’ve talked a little bit about this on my own podcast, it’s a little triggering,” Schroeder, 34, said on the Wednesday, April 12, episode of the “#NoFilter with Zack Peter” podcast. “I know we overuse the word triggering nowadays, it kind of drives me nuts, but I can’t think of a better word to describe than triggering for right now.”
The Vanderpump Rules alum, who appeared on the show from 2013 to 2020, slammed Leviss, 28, and Sandoval, 40, for their “painful and horrible” decisions.
“When that happened to me with Kristen [Doute] and Jax [Taylor], that was nothing compared to what’s happening to Ariana [Madix],” she said, referring to the season 2 revelation that her ex-boyfriend, 43, hooked with Doute, 40. “That’s nothing compared to what’s happening to her!”
Schroeder recalled the aftermath of how she found out that she was cheated on while filming the hit Bravo series. “I know what it did to me, and it made me not trust people. It made me crazy. It made me not a good girlfriend. Not a good partner,” the Louisiana native, who is expecting her second child with husband Beau Clark, continued. “That’s not a healthy way to think.” (Schroeder also shares daughter Hartford, 2, with Clark.)
Us Weekly confirmed in March that Madix, 37, found out about Sandoval’s affair with Leviss. “They were having problems for a while,” a source revealed to Us, noting that things “only came to a breaking point” when the Florida native was made aware that the bar owner was unfaithful with their coworker.
In response, the beauty pageant contestant addressed the controversy in a statement. “I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships,” she wrote via Instagram. “There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”
The California native said she was “speaking to a counselor” about her personal issues, adding, “I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships. I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices.”
At the time, Schroeder joked that she couldn’t get away from the drama after her departure from Bravo. “Listen, it feels weird for me to even talk about all of the ‘Scandoval’ drama because it was such a big part of my life for all of my adult life for, like, 10 years and now it’s not a part of my life at all yet it’s everywhere I turn,” she exclusively told Us in March. “It’s on my ‘For You’ page [on TikTok and] it’s all people are talking about. I can’t escape it. It’s taken over my life.”
She added: “I mean, if you’re not Team Ariana, get the f—k outta here. Like, it shouldn’t even be a question. Is there somebody out there who’s like, ‘I’m Team Tom?’ Like, show me that person.”
Sandoval, for his part, has since defended his choices by claiming he tried to call it quits with Madix in the past.
“Obviously, she was very upset. She freaking punched me and all this s–t,” he alleged on the Tuesday, April 11, episode of the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast. “A couple days later, I sit down and talk with her again, and she’s like, ‘I’m not letting you leave me. You’re gonna have to me force me out of this relationship.'”
The Missouri native admitted he was in consistent contact with Leviss before coming clean to Madix. “I was seeing Raquel as often as I could. I know that sounds horrible,” he added. “And FaceTiming her all the time. And Ariana didn’t even notice because that’s just how separate our lives were. I had to actually tell her, ‘How have you not noticed how distant I’ve been lately?'”
