VPR Star ‘Really Struggled With’ Ending Friendship With Tom Sandoval

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“Vanderpump Rules” star Scheana Shay discussed the aftermath of her castmates, Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss‘ affair in the September 8 “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay” podcast episode, alongside her guest Kelly Osbourne. As fans are aware, Sandoval was romantically involved with Leviss unbeknownst to his then-girlfriend, Ariana Madix. Once Shay found out about his cheating scandal, she informed Sandoval she could not remain his friend.

According to People magazine, Shay stated that she had difficulty removing herself away from Sandoval in the September 8 “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay” episode. Osbourne, who is a fan of “Vanderpump Rules,” shared that her brother, Jack Osbourne, likes Sandoval. Shay replied that she believes Sandoval is “a likable person.” She also revealed she had a conversation with actress Tara Reid, who appeared alongside Sandoval in the reality series, “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.”

“She said she just did this show with Tom and she’s like, ‘He’s not a bad guy, I don’t think he’s a bad guy.’ And I’m like, ‘I never thought he was a bad guy. He was one of my best friends for almost 15 years,'” recalled Shay.

She also noted that Sandoval did not intentionally hurt her when he had an affair with Leviss.

“He was the only person from day one who had my back on this show, who fought for me whenever something was unfair, he was the person there in my corner,” stated the mother of one. “So I have, personally, really struggled with all this because I’m like, ‘Yes, you did a really bad thing. But you weren’t a bad friend to me. But then what you have done has affected me, and it’s just, like, changed the entire dynamic of our group.”

While filming a July 2023 Amazon Live, Shay shared she shot an emotional scene with Sandoval during the production of “Vanderpump Rules” season 11, which wrapped filming in September 2023. The mother of one explained that she unexpectedly had to meditate alone with Sandoval in a season 11 scene. She stated that the situation “was very uncomfortable.”

“Obviously, him and I had a really long friendship, as you saw in the finale, my conversation with him, that was not easy, because I don’t like what he did to Ariana, obviously,” stated Shay. “Him and I had a really long friendship, so everyone always says, ‘Oh, Scheana the flip-flopper, and Scheana needs to have loyalty.’ And losing a friendship of that long has obviously been a struggle, but Team Ariana. She’s my girl.”

Brock Davies Shared That He Missed Being Friends With Tom Sandoval

During a July 2023 “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay” episode, Shay’s husband, Brock Davies, shared that he misses being friends with Sandoval. He asserted, however, that he disapproved of his decision to cheat on Madix.

“It’s just very annoying that he did this, unfortunately. And so, until – I’m not just going to forgive him, I don’t think anyone in the group is just going to forgive and move on,” said Davies.

The father of three also shared he misses Sandoval and Shay’s friendship. In addition, Davies suggested that he would be interested in mending his friendship with Sandoval.

“Do I miss our friendship? Yes. Do I condone his actions? Hell to the no. And so, we’ve got to figure out what that middle ground is on the way back to becoming friends again,” said Davies.

Scheana Shay Commented on Raquel Leviss’ Decision to Not Return to ‘Vanderpump Rules’

Leviss announced that she will not continue being a “Vanderpump Rules” cast member after the show’s 10th season during an August 2023 appearance on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast, “Just B with Bethenny Frankel.” Shay shared her thoughts on the matter during the September 8 episode of her podcast. She stated that she believed Leviss should have come back to the series because she may have been able to redeem herself after her cheating scandal.

“We all did hope that Raquel would come back to the show this season. Like let’s show you working through this,” said Shay.

The “Good as Gold” singer clarified she understands the show may be “a toxic environment” for Leviss following her stay at the Arizona treatment facility, The Meadows. She stated, however, that she believes Leviss having “a couple conversations” on camera for “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 could have been beneficial.

“Just a little bit to just show what she went through, explain what she learned about herself,” said Shay.

“Vanderpump Rules” star Lala Kent shared similar comments about Leviss leaving the Bravo series in an August 2023 episode of her podcast, “Give Them Lala.” 

“It is a travesty that she didn’t end up coming back,” said the mother of one.

Madix, however, shared she agreed with Leviss’ decision to quit “Vanderpump Rules” while recording the August 25 episode of “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay.”

“I would argue that I think that’s the right decision, especially if you are, you know, kind of struggling with your mental health and how you are handling the fallout of what happened and the actions and the consequences and all that. I, honestly, think that’s a wise decision,” stated the 38-year-old.