Ariana Madix Delves Deeper Into Tom Sandoval Breakup, Raquel Leviss Cheating Scandal and More on ‘Call Her Daddy’

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Ariana Madix Delves Deeper Into Tom Sandoval Breakup, Raquel Leviss Cheating Scandal and More on 'Call Her Daddy'

There's something about her. Ariana Madix is continuing to open up about her shocking split from Tom Sandoval amid his affair with Vanderpump Rules costar Raquel Leviss. The former SUR bartender, 37, delved deeper into the scandal during the Wednesday, May 24, episode of Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast. "To be very clear, I didn't lose him," she asserted. "He lost me. But I think that I trusted in him so much ... that I trusted his perspective on things." She added: "I feel like we would have so many amazing times together, so then if there was a couple weeks that were not great or if I was, like, unsure about something [in the relationship], there was so much other stuff that was great. ... It was almost, I think, hard to say, 'Oh, this person's not right for me,' because I also had never been in a relationship that long before." When asked on Wednesday whether she thought she ever "turned a blind eye" to any red flags, Madix conceded that she did. "But I think I was given a lot of assistance in doing that because I would bring things up and I would be shot down," she claimed. "I was very much committed and I feel like I was doing my absolute best as a partner. But I don't think I would do anything differently, just because I feel like all I can do is my best — and whether my best was good enough or not for anyone, that's what it was." Us Weekly confirmed in March that Madix and Sandoval, 40, called it quits after nearly a decade of dating due to his infidelity with Leviss — who Madix refers to by her given name, "Rachel," on the podcast. Cameras picked back up on season 10 of the Bravo reality series — which previously wrapped production in fall 2022 — to capture the aftermath of the scandal for an emotional season finale. "I regret every moment that I stood up for you, defended you, supported you," Madix told her ex in the May 17 episode. "You're worth nothing and I want you to feel that deep in your soul. I want you to hear those words coming from the mouth of the woman who f--king stood by you and loved you and was ready to build the rest of my life around you." [jwplayer sUe6pORY-zhNYySv2] The Fancy AF Cocktails coauthor reminded Sandoval that she was there for him when he "didn't have a f--king dime to your name driving a 1997 Honda Civic" — long before Leviss, 28, came into the picture. "That girl is searching for identity in men. She has no identity of her own," she added. "She was willing to stoop so low as to f—k one of her best friend's life partners and that is someone you think is a good person you should be around?" Both Sandoval and the beauty queen issued public apologies to Madix in March when their affair made headlines. Leviss has since checked herself into a facility to seek professional mental health treatment amid the backlash. The TomTom co-owner, meanwhile, has been performing in cities across the country with his band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras. While he's remained relatively tight-lipped about the ordeal following his April interview with Howie Mandel, Madix has been candid about her experience since the Pump Rules finale aired. "I have nothing to say to either of them," she told The New York Times of the Missouri native and Leviss when asked whether she was "open to filming" with the duo should they return for season 11. "Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends, and neither of them are in the group of friends, so, good luck." She reflected on the heated confrontation she had with her ex on camera as they discussed his infidelity, slamming his "sad sack act" in the Thursday, May 18, profile. "I knew he was trying to be that person so that I would be the angry person; I could see what was happening in front of my face, and it was really frustrating," she said. "Honestly, when he started yelling at me, I felt a little bit satisfied that he was finally going to be the real him." Madix's "Call Her Daddy" interview dropped ahead of the three-part Pump Rules reunion, which kicks off Wednesday. As fans eagerly await more details about next season, costar James Kennedy exclusively opened up to Us about how the cast will — or won't — move forward from the scandal. "It's just such a classic story of betrayal. ... It was something that I don't feel like [we] will ever come back from," he said on Thursday while reflecting on the "heartbreaking" finale. "So, it was kind of a farewell almost." Scroll down for more revelations from Madix's podcast appearance:

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Her Sex Life With Sandoval

"In the beginning ... I was very excited that someone was, like, really into me because the relationship I was in previously, that sex life was fine, but at the same time I was being, like, criticized very heavily about my body, my personality — just everything," she said. "And so I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, this is somebody who's really into me,' and so that was very exciting."

She said her and Sandoval's "sex life waxed and waned" over the nine years they were together. "I definitely think that, you know, it got to a point sometimes where I just wanted that quality time so bad. ... I felt like he just was adding more and more things to his plate and I don't know, I just felt like, 'Oh, he's just not into me.'" 

Her now-ex "would complain about frequency" when it came to being intimate. "It felt like he wanted to have sex, but I was like, 'But do you want to have sex with me? Is it about me or is it just about the act?'" she added.

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The Truth About the Breakup Conversations

Sandoval claimed in an April interview that he tried to end the pair's relationship on Valentine's Day, but Madix has a different perspective. "He got me flowers, we went to Schwartz & Sandy's for dinner and we brought a super special bottle of wine that was special to us," she recalled. "I got dressed up. ... We went out for drinks later. Rachel showed up, as did a few of our other friends."

At home, Madix said she and Sandoval had an "hours-long" conversation in which he mentioned feeling like he was having a mid-life crisis. "And I said, 'If we break up, I'm probably going to quit the show. I will probably leave Los Angeles, I'll probably deactivate my Instagram,'" she noted. "And he found that to be, like, very offensive. ... I was never saying that I was going to kill myself. I was saying that my life — this life — will be over for me because I will go do something else. ... He knows that that's not what I was saying."

Elsewhere in the episode, Madix confessed she didn't think she and Sandoval would still be together had the cheating scandal not made headlines. 

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Filming the Reunion

Madix recalled feeling a "vote of confidence" among her OG costars as they headed into the reunion taping, adding that it was "painful" to have to sit and listen to Leviss. 

"I was angry. At times, I was sad," she said of her headspace that day. "But I honestly think that the biggest thing that I felt ... I was so grateful for my friends. Both the friends that were there that day and otherwise, and I honestly [think] a lot of it felt numb in a way."

Madix joked that she made rules for herself going into the big day. "I was like, 'I'm not looking at either of them. I will communicate with Andy or Lisa ... otherwise I will speak to the sound stage.'"

The reality star weighed in on the upcoming reunion bombshell producers have teased, hinting that the only thing that would make her not want to film would be "anything that makes me feel unsafe or for my dog to be unsafe."

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Is Sandoval a Pathological Liar?

Madix teased that "clearly in the last seven months," Sandoval's behavior has leaned toward being a pathological liar. "It's now hard for me to look back at nine years and if I tell myself he's a pathological liar, then it means that the last nine years of my life were potentially a lie. But he did say stuff on that finale episode to Scheana, like, 'We weren't happy' and 'We bought the house as a Band-Aid,' and I'm like, 'A Band-Aid to who?' Because that wasn't where I was at at all." 

She added: "There are a lot of things from his perspective that were said in that episode and otherwise that it's like, 'Oh, OK. Well, that's maybe how you were thinking, but that's nowhere near where I was.'"

Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Reevaluating Past Rumors Post-Scandoval

Madix admitted on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen earlier this month that she was aware of Sandoval hooking up with "Miami Girl" in the early days of their relationship before they were exclusively dating. When asked how many other times she thinks her ex may have been unfaithful before their breakup, she replied, "I don't know." 

"There was one [time] years and years ago that I got a DM that was like, 'Tom hooked up with my friend in San Diego,' and I brought it up over and over and over and over again ... and it was like, 'Absolutely not,'" she claimed. "That now, I'm like, 'I think that was a yes.'"

Sandoval confessed on the season 10 finale that there was "one other time" that he cheated on Madix before his fling with Leviss. "I'm 99.9 percent sure I know exactly who that is also," Madix said. 

Speculation has swirled that Sandoval hooked up with former costar Billie Lee, but Madix doesn't think Lee is guilty of an affair. "The reason I don't is because — I understand that this sounds crazy because Raquel was someone I loved and trusted — but I trust that Billie Lee would not do that."

Madix confirmed that she and Lee have "talked about" the rumors offline.

Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Her Feelings on Raquel Now

Madix described the California native as "lost" after learning of the affair. "I mean, I don't know her," she continued. "I realize now I never knew her, but I certainly don't know her now and I don't know anyone who does know her. It's hard to say, but based on what I've seen, [she's] lost and empty. ... I don't really know what's going on."

She went on to say that Sandoval and Leviss don't make sense to her as a couple. "I mean, unless he has changed everything that he's ever said he's looking for in someone," she joked. 

When asked whether she's heard from Leviss since the scandal broke, Madix said she got a text. "[It] was very, like, 'I just don't know what to say except that I'm sorry,'" she recalled. "And then at the reunion, it was very subpar." 

Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Spotting the Signs

Madix admitted that she believes Sandoval and Leviss would be intimate in her house — sometimes with her there. "I think they had sex in my guest room while I was sleeping in my own bed that he and I went to bed in together and then he left the bed and went to the guest room and f--ked her," she alleged.

However, Madix asserted that she didn't think anything suspicious would be happening since she and Sandoval often let friends crash at their place after a long night. "There were times where I would go up to bed or whatever because it's late and I have a life and a career and responsibilities, and you know, 28-year-old failed pageant queens don't. ... And that's fine, if you weren't f--king my boyfriend also at the same time," she quipped.

Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Who Started the Open Relationship Rumors?

Throughout season 10, Madix's relationship with Sandoval was called into question multiple times, with costars even hinting that the then-couple were in an open relationship. "Honestly, I think it came from [Tom]," she said of where the rumors may have began. 

She recalled a conversation with a third party back when "rumors were rumbling" about Sandoval's infidelity. "Apparently, Rachel told a mutual friend that she thought me and Tom were in an open relationship because apparently he told her that at one point and then when that got brought up [to him], he was like, 'Absolutely not, I never said that.' And I was like, 'Well, you should probably take that up with your little f--king girlfriend.' ... There was, like, a kernel of something that was planted somewhere that turned into something."