Heavy/NBCUniversal Ariana Madix
Ariana Madix sounded off on her relationship with her “Vanderpump Rules” co-star Tom Schwartz on August 5, 2023, when she responded to speculation that she’d repaired her friendship with Tom Sandoval‘s best friend and business partner.
The VPR star was photographed at a Something About Her sandwich tasting with many of her co-stars and the photo was shared on the Instagram account Queens of Bravo. Madix is in the midst of launching her sandwich restaurant with Schwartz’s ex-wife, Katie Maloney. On one side of the table, Madix and Maloney were seated next to Scheana Shay and Brock Davies, while Schwartz sat across from his ex and next to Lala Kent, Ally Lewber and James Kennedy.
One person commented on the photo, “I thought ariana said we cant be friends with schwartz???” The remark was in reference to Madix saying she couldn’t continue to be friends with Schwartz since he was aware of her ex Sandoval’s months-long affair with Raquel Leviss.
“I’m not friends with Tom Schwartz,” Madix replied to the commenter along with a shrug.
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Ariana Madix Told Andy Cohen on ‘Watch What Happens Live’ That Tom Schwartz ‘Actively’ Took Part in Her ‘Downfall’
Madix spoke with Schwartz about his knowledge of the affair during the “Vanderpump Rules” season 10 finale, which aired in May 2023 and was filmed in the aftermath of the affair becoming public in March 2023. During the emotional exchange, Schwartz apologized to Madix for not telling her and said he wasn’t excusing Sandoval’s behavior.
Madix told Schwartz at the time, “I will not have mutual friends with him. So, I’m not your friend anymore.” She later spoke about it on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” and said she felt that Schwartz was really involved in the affair. “I don’t think it was just covering, I think it was actively participating in my downfall,” she said.
Prior to season 11 filming, Schwartz shared on Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s podcast “When Reality Hits” that he was taking a break from his friendship with Sandoval. He said he hadn’t spoken to his business partner in a while and had been struggling to accept his reaction and apparent lack of “contrition” to the affair after it became public.
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Executive Producer Alex Baskin Said Season 11 Was a Good Follow-Up to Season 10
The 11th season of “Vanderpump Rules” is currently filming and executive producer Alex Baskin spoke about the aftermath of Sandoval in a recent interview with Deadline. Baskin said the ratings for the show had been flagging after the pandemic and cast changes and the timing of the Scandoval was “perfect” from a producer standpoint.
He confirmed that the cast was filming season 11 and described it as a “worthy follow-up to last season.” Baskin also revealed that the cast had been really involved in wanting to tell the “real story” in the aftermath of the explosive scandal. However, at the time of his interview on August 2, Baskin said producers weren’t sure whether Leviss would be back to film season 11 or not.
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