Heavy/NBCUniversal Tom Sandoval
Tom Sandoval has been coming under fire from his “Vanderpump Rules” co-stars after news broke that he was having an affair with his co-star Raquel Leviss for several months despite his nearly-decade-long relationship with Ariana Madix.
On March 3, 2023, People reported that Madix had found evidence of their affair in the form of a video of Leviss on Sandoval’s phone a couple of days earlier. As the backlash against Sandoval began growing, the bar owner and musician performed a show with his band, Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras, at City National Grove in Anaheim, California.
Some fans in attendance let their feelings be known that they were in support of Madix, and began chanting “cheater, cheater” after one of Sandoval’s songs. Someone else then yelled “Ariana!” Sandoval, who had yet to publicly address the scandal, replied right away, “We love her.”
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Lala Kent & James Kennedy Encouraged Fans Who Had Tickets to Show Up to Tom Sandoval’s Show & Heckle Him
“we love her” – tom sandoval says about ariana madix… after an absolutely horrible performance #pumprules
Fans at Sandoval’s concert were encouraged earlier in the day by VPR stars Lala Kent and James Kennedy to make their support of Madix clear.
Kennedy, who dated Leviss for five years and proposed to her on the show before they split during the season 9 reunion, gave his advice on his Instagram Stories. “If you’re in Orange County today and you’re planning on seeing Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras tonight don’t forget to bring the tomatoes and the cabbage, OK?” he said.
He even gave suggestions on how best to throw the tomatoes, telling fans, “You want to get a good aim and you want to squeeze the tomato a little bit so it’s just a little juicy before you throw it.”
Kent, who’d been feuding with Sandoval for a few weeks before the bombshell dropped, told fans they shouldn’t go to Sandoval’s show at all. That said, she gave tips for people who decided to go regardless of the news. “Anyone going to Tom’s show tonight,” she said on her Instagram Story, “I want you all to bust into a chant of ‘Ariana!’” Kent called on fans. “I’m activated as f***. Now that I have consent from [Ariana] … blow torch. Gasoline. Grenade launcher. It’s all ready.”
Tom Sandoval Issued a Statement Apologizing to Ariana Madix on March 8, Several Days After the News First Broke
Apart from Sandoval’s comment at his show on March 3, the Schwartz & Sandy’s owner didn’t publicly address the affair and his split from Madix until March 8, when he posted a long statement on his Instagram page. Sandoval wrote that he wanted to apologize to everyone that was hurt by his actions and specifically mentioned Ariana.
He said his biggest regret was “dishonoring” Ariana and not showing respect for her and their long relationship. Sandoval added that he was sad that their relationship ended in such a way that tarnished its memory and concluded by sharing that he has a lot of work to do on himself. Leviss also issued a statement the same day apologizing for her actions and stating that she was reflecting on herself and her next steps.
Madix has yet to publicly address her breakup and deleted her social media accounts the day before the news broke. However, Kent shared on her March 7 Amazon Live that Madix is “moving with the motion of the ocean” and has a “really great support team” with her throughout this time.
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