Speaking it into existence. Tom Sandoval had plenty of thoughts about the overlap in the Vanderpump Rules cast’s dating history — and not all his comments aged well.
During an unaired scene from an episode of the hit Bravo series, which premiered on Wednesday, March 8, Sandoval, 39, reflected on Katie Maloney‘s request that Tom Schwartz not date anyone in their friend group.
“If you look at our history, I was with Kristen [Doute] and then I was with Ariana [Madix]. Then Kristen was with James [Kennedy] and James was with Raquel [Leviss],” the Missouri native explained in the deleted clip, which was filmed in July 2023. “And then Raquel was with Peter [Madrigal]. I mean, the only people, I guess, that haven’t experienced that are Schwartz and Katie because they have been together for the past 12 years.”
Sandoval’s quotes on the cast’s love lives surfaced shortly after news broke off screen of his split from Ariana, 37. “They were having problems for a while,” a source exclusively revealed to Us Weekly on Friday, March 3, adding that things “only came to a breaking point” when the Florida native was made aware that her then-boyfriend was unfaithful with Raquel, 28.
The TomTom co-owner originally released a statement defending his Los Angeles businesses before issuing a second apology to Madix.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana,” Sandoval wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, March 7. “I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
He added: “I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.”
Meanwhile, Raquel addressed the scandal in her own public statement, writing via Instagram on Wednesday, “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. There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”
The beauty pageant contestant, who has since filed for an order of protection against Scheana Shay following a physical altercation over the drama, also offered an update on her relationship with Sandoval.
“Knowing how many people we hurt, I need to understand my choices and learn to make better ones. I need to take care of my health, work on self growth and take time to be OK with being alone,” she wrote in an additional Instagram statement on Wednesday. “I care for Tom and I don’t want to label anything or predict what lies ahead. Right now I need to heal.”
Madix, for her part, initially deleted her social media platforms before the news broke. She has since returned to Instagram as she and the Vanderpump Rules cast continue to film new scenes for season 10. The reunion is expected to film in two weeks.
