Heavy/Getty James Kennedy and Tom Sandoval
Tom Sandoval made his return to “Vanderpump Rules” in the second episode of season 11 after filming for “Special Forces” caused him to miss the premiere.
During the episode, Sandoval threw a birthday party for himself and extended an invitation to James Kennedy. However, Kennedy didn’t stay for long as his conversation with Sandoval about the “ultimate betrayal” quickly turned south. Kennedy claimed that Sandoval ostracized him from the group during the 10th season while having an affair with the DJ’s ex-fiancée, Raquel Leviss, the whole time.
In his podcast “Everybody Loves Tom,” Sandoval said when he invited Kennedy, he knew the two would probably talk at some point but didn’t expect it to happen that way and said it didn’t go well. “I think one of the reasons why I was bothered by that whole situation is because back in the day, it wasn’t 10 years ago, James did do way worse in a sense,” Sandoval explained, in reference to Kennedy hooking up with then dating Kristen Doute. “And I never called it the ultimate betrayal. The ultimate betrayal is to Ariana [Madix], obviously.”
Sandoval said he “eventually got over it,” and then began supporting Kennedy and defending him when the polarizing cast member got attacked by other VPR stars. “When it happened to me, he dogpiled on to me and it just was like, wow, you can’t return the favor at all,” Sandoval said. “My world was falling apart and he’s just like, sending me manic f****** insults to me about me, my family, whatever… I should have dealt with it. And I felt bad about that.”
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Tom Sandoval Wasn’t on the Same Page as James Kennedy About Being a ‘Big Brother’ Type of Figure
Sandoval also didn’t seem to agree with Kennedy’s comments in the episode about feeling like he’d lost a big brother in Sandoval, as he said they’re not “BFFs.” In his February 8 podcast episode, Sandoval said, “We’re friends, but like, there’s times where we go two months without talking to each other and seeing each other… It’s just not the way the relationship we have… So I don’t know.”
Earlier in the episode, the bartender addressed Kennedy’s decision to pee in Sandoval’s bushes at the end of the episode, explaining that it was “definitely interesting.” However, Tom Schwartz interjected that he’d peed on the bushes several times while Sandoval said he had as well, “so many times.”
In the VPR after show, Sandoval also spoke about Kennedy’s move. He shared that he thought it was “funny” that Kennedy was doing it to be petty but that he didn’t actually “give a s***,” concluding, “I think that just speaks to James’s personality.”
The 2nd Episode of ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Featured Tom Sandoval’s Birthday Party After He Returned From Filming Another Show
The second episode of “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 saw Sandoval and Ariana Madix debate his birthday party through Sandoval’s assistant. Madix said she didn’t want him to have the party as she recalled how they used to last all night and threatened to call the cops.
Sandoval ended up negotiating to have a smaller group and wrap it up by midnight. Out of the “Vanderpump Rules” cast members, only Schwartz and Kennedy showed up to the event, though Kennedy didn’t stay long because his girlfriend Ally Lewber stayed in the car. Among the small guest list, viewers did notice that former VPR cast member Billie Lee was in attendance.
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