Vanderpump Rules is no stranger to drama, and season 10 of the hit Bravo series upped the ante big time. In March 2023, news broke that Pump Rules stars Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval were embroiled in an affair while Sandoval was in a nearly decade-long relationship with fellow VPR star Ariana Madix. Weeks after the news, co-star Tom Schwartz shared his thoughts in an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss are dating
Tom Sandoval was in a relationship with Ariana Madix for almost a decade before he became smitten with Raquel Leviss. It reportedly started out as an emotional affair that eventually led to a one-night stand in the summer of 2022. Since then, things only escalated.
The explosive news of Sandoval and Leviss’ relationship made headlines in March 2023. A few weeks later, the cast of Vanderpump Rules came together to film an unforgettable reunion. Sandoval and Leviss were reportedly confronted by Madix and earned no sympathy from their castmates.
Tom Schwartz said Raquel Leviss is Tom Sandoval’s ‘heroin’
Schwartz stopped by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in April 2023 to reflect on the reunion, which has yet to air. In his WWHL appearance, he stood up for Sandoval.
“Tom, I know the world hates you, but I’m not going to abandon you, old buddy. I’m not going to abandon you,” he said. “He knows he’s a monster for what he did.”
“If you see him, maybe give him a hug even if he doesn’t deserve it,” he continued. “Give him a hug. He’s down bad.”
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Elsewhere in the interview, Schwartz spoke about just how much Sandoval is obsessed with Leviss. “Raquel is Tom’s heroin,” Schwartz said elsewhere in the interview. “He’s addicted. It’s an infatuation of infatuations.”
His ex-wife and fellow VPR co-star Katie Maloney thinks that he should’ve bitten his tongue, sharing on Instagram Stories that he needed “media training” before doing more interviews, according to Page Six.
“You’re the only one that wants to hug him dude,” Maloney wrote in a tweet addressing her ex’s WWHL comments. “READ THE ROOM!!!”
The reunion will be one for the history books
After Scandoval initially made headlines, Pump Rules‘ Scheana Shay reportedly got in a physical altercation with Leviss that led Leviss to get a temporary restraining order against Shay. As a result, when the reunion filmed in March 2023, two separate seating charts had to be used to avoid having Leviss and Shay on stage at the same time.
Former Pump Rules star Jax Taylor said that he spoke to Schwartz after filming and heard that it got pretty heated. “There was security there. There was almost brawls,” Taylor told Extra of the reunion. “I don’t know what I’m allowed to say… I have a feeling [there was fight was between] the two boys… In fact, I know that because I talked to [Schwartz]… I talked to him right after it happened because I checked in with everybody.”
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