Heavy/Getty Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz
Tom Sandoval is setting the record straight on his January 30 appearance on Nick Viall’s podcast “The Viall Files” after the “Vanderpump Rules” star was criticized for it by co-stars and fans alike.
On February 8, during his own podcast “Everybody Loves Tom,” Sandoval and his close friend and co-star Tom Schwartz unpacked the interview, which Schwartz called “not [Sandoval’s] best performance.” Sandoval addressed his late arrival at the podcast by explaining that he’d had a really difficult and emotional night the night before remembering his close friend Ali Rafiq, who died in May 2023.
“It’s been at times, initially, maybe compartmentalized or because other things have happened,” Sandoval said. “Recently it’s really, really been hitting me. And that night, the night before the podcast, was the first time it really f****** hit me. And I was literally up all night just sobbing.”
“I was just kinda out of my mind because of that and emotionally, mentally, just f****** sideways,” he continued. Sandoval said he knew he was late, and “saw that Nick was calling me a loser,” he told Schwartz. “I can’t personally imagine having somebody on our podcast and calling them or referring to them as a loser or talking down about them or whatever. I get his audience, I just, I would never stoop to that level.” He said it didn’t feel like “a very welcoming, warm place.”
Schwartz said he thought Viall just wanted Sandoval to arrive on time because he “runs a tight ship,” but added that it was just one episode and not a big problem overall.
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Some of Tom Sandoval’s Interview Comments Raised Fans’ Eyebrows
The “Vanderpump Rules” star got a lot of heat for some of the comments in his interview with Viall. In some parts of the interview, he explained that he’d really learned a lot after the affair fallout and was working on becoming a better person.
However, in other segments, he appeared to be less contrite and implied that he’d cheated on Ariana Madix because she would “belittle” him during their nine-year relationship. On several occasions in the podcast, Schwartz chimed in to tell Sandoval that he should rethink some of his words because it seemed like he was blaming Madix for his cheating.
When Viall called out his “Special Forces” co-star for being late, Sandoval responded by accusing Viall of being an hour late to his “Everybody Loves Tom” podcast. However, Viall and his fiancée Natalie Joy showed receipts to deny Sandoval’s claims.
Katie Maloney Also Criticized Tom Sandoval After His Podcast Interview
Among those who criticized Sandoval and Schwartz’s “Viall Files” interview was Katie Maloney, their co-star and Schwartz’s ex-wife. “What a s*** show,” Maloney said on her podcast with Dayna Kathan, “Disrespectfully.”
“I mean the first part of it — just Schwartz sitting there apologizing for [Sandoval] for being late or possibly not showing — it was just kind of like, this is what he signed up for,” Maloney said. “This is what he’s hitched his wagon to, is just being a Tom Sandoval apologist. And, you know, to me it’s just really kind of sad. … Throughout the whole thing, [Schwartz is] just kind of making excuses for [Sandoval].”
Maloney slammed Sandoval for constantly deflecting and not taking accountability. “Mr. accountability, I like to call him,” she added. “Because he would always scream in people’s face — like, my face, anyone else’s face — about not taking accountability, when I’ve never seen that man be accountable for anything ever.”
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