Heavy/Getty/Peacock Rachel Leviss.
Rachel Leviss alleged that several people knew about her affair with Tom Sandoval before their headline-making cheating scandal was made public.
Speaking on her “Rachel Goes Rogue” podcast on March 22, 2024, the former “Vanderpump Rules” star dropped the names of several people who allegedly knew about the affair well before Schwartz’ girlfriend Ariana Madix found evidence on his phone one year ago—and she suggested that one of Madix’s best friends may have known.
“I want to kind of clear the air on who those people were and whether or not I know for certain that they knew,” Leviss said on her podcast. “But they were there were instances where it was pretty undeniable.”
Rachel Leviss Named a Former ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star & One of Ariana Madix’s Best Friends
BravoMax Boyens.
When Scandoval broke, most of the “Vanderpump Rules” cast members expressed shock, despite the clues that played out all season. But according to Leviss, several people associated with the show were in the know.
The first name Leviss revealed one she said before: Sandoval’s best friend and business partner, Tom Schwartz. “Obviously number one is Schwartz,” she said. “He has known from the very beginning.”
Leviss then alleged that the cast’s go-to jeweler, Kyle Chan, knew about the relationship. “Maybe people don’t realize or have suspected, but Kyle Chan has also known,” she said. “And Kyle Chan has been a good friend of Tom’s for quite some time. And he was one of the people that was trying to talk some sense into Tom. But he also likes to keep the secret for him.”
Leviss said she took issue with the fact that Chan, who is a mutual friend of much of the cast, was still “accepted into the group without any consequences” despite allegedly knowing about Sandoval’s infidelity.“Why I bring that up is because as we know the last episode that the cast filmed in San Francisco was for Kyle Chan’s party and nobody seemed to have an issue with Kyle knowing,” she added of an upcoming season 11 episode.
“Next Jason Bader is Tom Sandoval’s drummer and band manager,” Leviss said. “You have seen him on Tom Sandoval’s podcast.” (Bader has also appeared on several “Vanderpump Rules” episodes).
Leviss continued, “Next, Max Boyens.” Of the “Vanderpump Rules” season 8 alum, she added, “I don’t know the extent of what he knew about the affair but Max Boyens is one of the people that we would meet up with regularly at one of the dive bars by Tom Sandoval’s house. And you know, he didn’t ask any questions, but it was an often thing that we would meet up and it would be hard for me to think that he didn’t have an inkling of knowledge of what was going on.”
Leviss then claimed that Madix’s best friend Logan Cochran walked in on an affectionate moment between her and Sandoval. “This one’s a little sus because Tom and I were very reckless and stupid. But basically Tom and I like snuck off. Basically Tom and I were cuddling in the social media room which is downstairs at their of their house,” she said. “And there was a party going on and Ariana’s best friend Logan Cochran walked into the social media room and he was like, ‘Ohh OK.’”
“And we were just like cuddling on the floor, we were clothed and everything. There wasn’t a blanket or anything,” she added, “But Logan walked in on us and then he’s like ‘Ohh I’m really messed up. OK bye’ and then left. And he’s Ariana’s best friend so I’m sure that got back to Ariana, you know. Like Logan definitely had to have some sort of suspicion that this was going on because why else would we be cuddling?”
Leviss also hinted that another close friend, Brad, (presumably Madix’s other bestie Brad Kearns) may have had some clues about the affair.
Finally, Leviss alleged that Sandoval’s mom knew about the affair after he brought her with him to his hometown of St. Louis. “I met Tom’s mom before when she came to LA, but this time it was different because he was bringing me to the house,” she claimed. “It honestly felt like I was his girlfriend.”
Leviss claimed that she slept in a basement area during the hometown holiday visit and made food with Sandoval’s family. “The way that Tom would present things made it feel so normal,” she said. “But yes, Tom Sandoval’s mom also knew and I think that’s really messed up position to put your mom in because you know now she’s keeping this secret for her son.”
“That concludes my list,” Leviss said. “There’s no reason to be protecting these people anymore, I think they can all handle it.”
Logan Cochran & Max Boyens Fired Back at Rachel Leviss
Several of the people Leviss named responded to her accusations. On March 22, Cochran posted to his Instagram story to denounce Leviss’ suggestion that he knew what was going on with her and Sandoval.
“So Rachel suggested I knew about the affair on her podcast today,“ he wrote. “First, ew, no I did NOT know. Second, I don’t believe in lying to my friends or withholding important information from them. I believe they should know. Maybe that works for some others but not me. My friendship with Ariana is very near and dear to me and I’ll protect it at all costs. I share everything with her: the good the bad and, yes, even what Rachel mentioned on her podcast today.”
Cochran went on to explain that the incident was a “non-event.”
“My perspective at the time was not that those two people were up to anything nefarious,” he wrote. “The incident Rachel recounted was such a non event to me at the time not because I knew or was complicit (come on y’all they invited me into their weird little cuddle puddle after I walked in the room) but because I wasn’t close at the time with the people kept casting doubt and making others question everything. I just thought we were all good friends. I learned [about the affair] the same day Ariana did.”
Cochran also told Leviss to “please go rogue elsewhere.”
Boyens also had a response. The former Tom Tom manager posted a partial transcript of Leviss comments to his Instagram story. “This girl just can’t shut up and take accountability.” he wrote. “Also we’re still talking about this? What. The. F. Really curious what her platform will be about once she’s beat this into the [expletive] ground. I’m so bored.”
As for Schwartz, he had previously admitted to knowing about the affair ahead of Madix. In April 2023, he appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” to reveal that he knew Sandoval and Leviss had a “one night stand” months earlier that turned into an “emotional affair.” Schwartz added that he was not totally “surprised” by the affair revelation because Sandoval and Leviss’ relationship was allegedly an “open secret” among their friend group.
In February 2024, Schwartz responded to Leviss’ initial claim that he knew about the affair “from the beginning.” Speaking on WWHL, he said, “I mean I haven’t listened to it but you know like I said I’ve been singing the same song. I knew I knew I knew and even when I didn’t know I pretty much knew.”
As for Madix, she previously told WWHL that Sandoval had a band of flying monkeys” who covered for him. But she named Schwartz as the main offender.
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