YouTube/TomSandoval Tom Sandoval, Jerry O'Connell
Tom Sandoval got an unexpected apology from a celebrity who publicly dissed him. Months after his shocking cheating scandal with his “Vanderpump Rules” co-star, Raquel Leviss, thrust him into the headlines, the Bravo veteran was face to face with one of his biggest critics.
On the October 5, 2023 edition of Sandoval’s new podcast, “Everybody Loves Tom,” guest Jerry O’Connell issued a major mea culpa to the fallen bar star, and even admitted he was “embarrassed” by some of the things he said about him.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jerry O’Connell Expressed Remorse for Things He Said About Tom Sandoval
O’Connell was the second guest to appear on Sandoval’s podcast. “The Talk” co-host kicked things off by explaining why he was there.
“I have to tell the story of how I’m here,” O’Connell told Sandoval, before congratulating him on his new podcast. He explained when a commercial for Sandoval’s podcast came on, he watched it and was shocked to see that he was in it.
“It has celebrities on there, like I mean huge celebrities,” the actor said. “Jennifer Lawrence. Academy Award winner. Adele, very famous 16-time Grammy winner. And it had me on there as well.”
“We’re saying pretty rude things about you Tom,” he said. “Someone called you trash, someone said something else that was rude, and then it cut to me in your commercial and I said you’re not a man. And it was crazy seeing that because I immediately felt really embarrassed. I felt embarrassed seeing myself say that. That’s not how I carry myself. …I don’t talk like that about other people publicly, you know, and I felt remorse when I saw that, and when I feel remorse, I like to act on it.”
O’Connell explained that he was a guest on the first live episode of “Watch What Happens Live” after Scandoval broke in March 2023, and that he even had a “Team Ariana” t-shirt printed up for the appearance to show support for Ariana Madix, whom Sandoval had cheated on with Leviss.
“I was on the first live episode after all that broke and felt like I should address it,” the actor explained. “I said you were not a man. I felt a lot of remorse and so I immediately took to Instagram and I DMed you myself.”
Sandoval said he understood that when O’Connell said he wasn’t a man, he really meant he wasn’t a good partner to Madix.
“I just don’t want any beef with anyone in the world,” O’Connell said, before noting that he had felt anxious about running into Sandoval before clearing the air with him — and also for how it would be received once he did make amends with him.
“My anxiety in coming on as a guest is that I am somehow approving some of your behavior in the past,” he admitted. “It is scary. … My anxiousness is that I am somehow giving you a pass. I am sorry, but it has to be said.”
Sandoval took O’Connell’s comments in stride. He even admitted that his own brother, Brian, distanced himself from him following the scandal. “My brother, like, told me, he’s like, ‘Tom, you need to delete photos of us Instagram,’” Sandoval said. “My actual blood brother said that to me.”
“I do appreciate you coming and I commend your courage for doing that because, you know, it is a lot,” the Schwartz & Sandy’s owner told O’Connell.
Fans reacted to Jerry O’Connell’s cameo on Sandoval’s podcast.
“I’m glad Jerry owned up to his mistake. I do recall him saying he did the exact same thing at one point in his life, so have a little compassion. Love it!” one commenter wrote.
Basically what Jerry is trying to say that everyone jumped on the Ariana bandwagon without looking in the mirror first. We all have made mistakes so be careful throwing bricks when you live in a glass house yourself,” another wrote.
“It takes a real man and good human to say ok things went a little far,” another chimed in.
Jerry O’Connell Ripped Tom Sandoval on Multiple Occasions
O’Connell has slammed Sandoval multiple times since the affair scandal broke. In May, he was a guest at an event for Lisa Vanderpump’s Vanderpump Dog Foundation, where he told Us Weekly he wanted to have words with Sandoval.
“We’re also hoping to run into Tom Sandoval, actually,” the “Sliders” alum said. “I have a few words for him. …We’re here for the Vanderpump Dog Foundation but we’re also here to get Tom Sandoval to move out of Ariana’s house.”
O’Connell went even harder during his “Watch What Happens Live” appearance. After showing up for the first live WWHL show after the Sandoval news broke, and wearing a Team Ariana shirt that he paid $100 to get printed up, O’Connell gave host Andy Cohen his take on Sandoval’s affair debacle.
“My take is Tom Sandoval is not a man, he’s a little boy,” O’Connell told Cohen. “This is what little boys do, Tom Schwartz is a little boy.” He added Sandoval’s best friend and business partner.
“I at one time in my life was a little boy,” O’Connell, 49, admitted. “I was in relationships, I was terrible in those relationships and then I met my wife and I became a man. Full disclosure, when I met my wife I was seeing another person. I met my wife… Rebecca Romijn was my Raquel and it was not pretty. But I was a little boy and now I am a man,”
O’Connell then made clear his Team Ariana – and Team Katie, Schwartz’s ex – status. “I want to tell Katie and Ariana, you need to find some men, some real men.” He said. “Because men want both of you, trust me, they want you. You need to find a man.”
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