Tom Sandoval Shares Why He Didn’t Join Ariana & Lala Hookup

Tom Sandoval offered an update on his and Ariana Madix‘s living arrangement on Thursday’s episode of Tamra Judge, 56, and Teddi Mellencamp’s podcast.

While also reacting to claims of seeming “self-righteous” on Vanderpump Rules and sharing his thoughts on the backlash Scheana Shay, 38, received after confirming she spent time with him at BravoCon, Tom, 41, offered an update on Schwartz & Sandy’s and explained why he cheated on his longtime girlfriend Ariana, 38, with their friend, Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, 29.

“[Ariana]’s currently staying in some like place. We don’t talk. And we haven’t. We have a go-between whether it’s my assistant or a friend,” Sandoval, who continued living with Ariana for months after his affair was exposed, revealed on the December 7 episode of Two Ts in a Pod.

Following the news of Sandoval and Raquel’s secret romance in March, the Pump Rules cast went back into production as the now-ex-couple faced a whirlwind of hate, including claims of self-righteousness aimed at Sandoval, which he does not agree with.

“No, I don’t. I’m, in fact, the opposite,” he insisted. “I always say, ‘Hey, we all f**k up, we all screw up. You guys are icing out [James Kennedy]. You’re icing out [Jax Taylor]. You’re icing out [Lala Kent]’… He’s who without sin cast the first stone. We all screw up.”

Because he’s been met with such aggression, a number of Sandoval’s castmates chose to cut ties with him completely. And, the ones that haven’t, including Scheana, have faced their own backlash.

“I am respecting, I know I’m a bad look and I’m baggage and it sucks and it’s sad, but people can’t be seen with me. And I get it and I respect that,” he admitted.

Even Sandoval’s restaurant, Schwartz & Sandy’s, which he shares with Tom Schwartz, 40, was met with calls for boycotts and bad reviews. Luckily, eight months after news broke of his affair, things are settling down.

“It’s good,” he said of how business is these days, also confessing to challenges.

“It’s not WeHo. It’s not slammed every night. It’s not in the neighborhood that parties,” he explained.

As for why Sandoval cheated on Ariana in the first place, he admitted to getting “caught up.”

“You get lost in your emotions. Love makes you do really stupid things,” he reasoned. “[You] throw logic out the window. And that’s exactly what happened. When you’re in the public eye, it’s not so simple. You have to plan. You have to make moves. We also were part of a business. Also, I’d never been in a relationship this long. This intense. We came up together. We bought a house together. Started a business together… I know this sounds crazy, but I love Ariana.”

According to Sandoval, his love for Ariana was actually what led him to keep his affair with Raquel a secret for so long.

“Delaying telling her was also delaying hurting her. I know that’s so shortsighted, but that’s part of it,” he revealed.

Also, on the podcast, Sandoval explained why he didn’t join Ariana in her hookup with Lala, 33, years ago.

“They were both drinking all day, and I was buying a car that day. I was overly caffeinated… I was not in the best shape. I didn’t feel sexy. I didn’t,” he admitted. “And I wasn’t very sexually active during that time either… I was not about to have anybody see me naked.”

Vanderpump Rules season 11 premieres on Bravo in January 2024.