The Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal likely has a few PR crisis teams scrambling and former publicist Amir Yass says at least one cast member’s job could be in serious jeopardy.
Friday afternoon, Vanderpump Rules fans were greeted with the ultimate plot twist that Tom Sandoval cheated on long-term girlfriend Ariana Madix with Raquel Leviss.
Leviss and Sandoval’s affair lasted for several months and new details and gossip dripped out on social media throughout the weekend.
Leviss allegedly fired her former publicist and hired Jack Ketsoyan, who also worked with Erika Jayne from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Yass said Ketsoyan is excellent at his job, and he also knows him. But will Ketsoyan be able to spin the narrative so Leviss can regain any footing on the show?
Yass said if Leviss was his client he would have her close all social media accounts immediately. “No social media,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “Because having that up and limiting the comments … you don’t really feel that bad.” Madix immediately deleted her social media when the Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal broke.
“What Ariana did was smart,” Yass said. “But Raquel … no Instagraming. Don’t respond to anything. Never defend yourself. I feel like the kneejerk reaction is to defend yourself. And then in a month, Andy Cohen should do a sit-down interview. And let him just rip into you. Go through it and be super culpable.”
Yass admits that Ketsoyan has his work cut out for him. “Whether or not you agree with your client, you have to defend them,” he said. “I think she’s smart to hire him. And I think it would be smart to paint herself as this damsel in distress. At this point, Sandoval broke up with her, so she has nothing to gain by standing by his side. So I would just annihilate him, character assassination. That’s what a good publicist would do.”
Why is Raquel’s job in jeopardy?
But will that be enough to allow Leviss to hang onto her Vanderpump Rules job? “Because you’re going to lose everything,” Yass said about Leviss. “They’re going to fire you. If Ariana says I’m not gonna film with Raquel, then they’re going to fire her. It’s going to be Katie [Maloney], Lala [Kent] – they’re all going to say they won’t film with her. And they’re not going to fire Lala and Katie.”
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“I think it’s a PR nightmare,” Yass said about Leviss remaining on Vanderpump Rules. “I mean, Lala’s super activated.”
Yass also said Sandoval’s statement, which focused mainly on saving his business was issued too quickly. “Don’t post that,” he said about the statement. “Here’s the thing that people don’t understand, that they need to comment right away. In two weeks, people will move on from this. But if you continue commenting you’re just going to look stupid. Tom is so desperate for people to come [to his restaurants] to spend money and eat. It’s like calm down. You aren’t going to close in two weeks.”
What impact will the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ cheating scandal have on Tom Sandoval’s job?
While Leviss is probably worried about her job on Vanderpump Rules, the cheating scandal isn’t likely to have the same impact on Sandoval, Yass said. “A man who cheats is never going to be canceled,” he said. “If Ariana had cheated with another cast member, she would be canceled. So misogyny is very alive and kicking.”
“So unfortunately there will be people who defend him,” he added. “Oh, she was depressed. What I have a problem with is the fact that they were sharing a home, sharing a business. For all intents and purposes, they were married. They were together for almost a decade and in California seven years is common law marriage.”
Madix and Sandoval will have to face many similarities that Maloney and Tom Schwartz endured in their divorce.
Vanderpump Rules Season 10 is currently airing on Bravo. But the fallout from the Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal is reportedly being added to the current season.
