Tom Sandoval has issued an apology after raising eyebrows with his controversial interview.
“My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received,” read a statement from Sandoval, 41, obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, February 20. “The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I’m incredibly sorry and embarrassed.”
In the candid conversation, Sandoval reflected on the aftermath of his affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and the reaction to his infidelity. (Sandoval and Ariana Madix split after nearly a decade of dating due to his secret relationship with Leviss, 29.)
“I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson. And he’s a convicted rapist,” Sandoval told the outlet. (Masterson, 47, is currently serving a 30-year sentence for rape.)
Sandoval continued comparing his situation, saying, “I’m not a pop-culture historian, really, but I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?”
In the article, author Irina Aleksander attempted to understand Sandoval’s comments, writing, “I think I knew what he meant. He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center of a nationwide discussion and a major news story; what he communicated instead was something more honest, which is just how much the experience had made him lose perspective.”
Since the interview was published, Sandoval’s remarks sparked backlash online, with multiple Bravo stars calling him out in the comments section of the Instagram account @Bravobybetches.
“Comparing slinging d–k to a Black man being murdered in front of our eyes during Black History Month is something I just don’t have words for,” Jordan Emanuel, who appeared on Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard and Winter House, wrote.
Real Housewives of Miami’s Guerdy Abraira added, “The disrespect … and during Black History Month… WOW just plz … PLEASE reflect on this repulsive statement you made (regarding GEORGE FLOYD r.i.p), especially in Black History Month and take it back!! NOT OK! An immediate apology is in order, sir.”
Sandoval’s Vanderpump Rules cast mate Katie Maloney also weighed in on the comments, calling out her ex-husband Tom Schwartz for his habit of defending Sandoval’s intentions.
“Hey Tom Schwartz you wanna come explain what he was really trying to say?” Maloney wrote.
