Vanderpump Rules alum Billie Lee broke her silence about the surprising falling out between her and Tom Sandoval — and apparently his girlfriend, Victoria Lee Robinson, is to blame.
“The fighting is constant. It’s the most toxic relationship I’ve ever seen in my life. I literally would cry,” Lee, 39, said on the Wednesday, June 5, episode of the “Billie and the Kid” podcast. “And that was the situation where I felt I could no longer be friends with both of them.”
Lee recalled her mental health declining after Sandoval, 41, started dating Robinson, 31, adding, “Because it was so toxic. I was feeling so much anxiety. And then I also was just feeling uncomfortable being in a house [with them].”
In the aftermath of Sandoval’s cheating scandal with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, he and Ariana Madix called it quits after nine years of dating. He subsequently found love with Robinson while still being considered one of the most hated men in America due to the drama. Lee stood by Sandoval, whom she’s been friends with since her time on Vanderpump Rules, despite the backlash.
Tom Sandoval‘s friend group was in for a shakeup after his cheating scandal. Sandoval and his now-ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix had many of the same friends before his affair with their Vanderpump Rules costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss made headlines. After Sandoval and Madix split in March 2023 due to his infidelity, most of their close pals […]
“Obviously I gave up a lot for Tom. I lost a lot of friends and I was there for him as much as I could be. I have no regrets. I 100 percent love that I was there to help a friend out,” she noted on Wednesday. “The thing is Tom was sober for a very long time. When he met Victoria, he started drinking again. And I noticed a lot of alarming things.”
Lee recalled being concerned about how Sandoval was acting once he got serious with Robinson.
“It was just a very dark time, He literally was just always depressed. They were fighting all the time. I would get dragged into the fights,” she said before accusing Robinson of love bombing her with gifts.
Victoria Lee Robinson and Tom Sandoval Courtesy of Victoria Lee Robinson/Instagram
According to Lee, Robinson would have issues with her spending time with Sandoval.
“Tom and I didn’t really hang out a lot one-on-one. That was fine with me. I’m so happy that they’re together,” she noted before recapping an instance when Robinson kept “calling and calling and calling” when Lee was over at Sandoval’s house. “He had to go upstairs. They got into a fight. He came downstairs and he said, ‘She thinks that we’re going to sleep together tonight.’ And I’m like, ‘What?’”
Lee also claimed Robinson had regrets about being with Sandoval at the height of his public fall from grace, saying, “Anyone dating Tom — and I even told Tom this — they have to be somewhat thirsty and a little desperate in a way. She would say, ‘I need to break up with Tom.’ … She would proceed to tell [his cousin and assistant] Josh that she’s embarrassed to be with him. She can’t bring him to parties.”
When viewers were introduced to staff at Lisa Vanderpump‘s restaurant during Vanderpump Rules‘ 2013 premiere, it was clear everyone was intertwined in one another’s love lives. From Stassi Schroeder‘s rocky relationship with Jax Taylor, which took a turn when he hooked up with her best friend Kristen Doute, to Peter Madrigal’s casual connections to several […]
The other red flag Lee allegedly noticed was Robinson trying to move Madix’s items from the home. (Sandoval and Madix, 39, are currently involved in a legal battle over their shared property.)
“Victoria demands that Tom move out of the guest bathroom and bedroom into the master bedroom and get rid of Ariana’s stuff. And I’m like, ‘You shouldn’t touch Ariana’s stuff,’” Lee claimed. “Then she wants all of Ariana’s stuff out. So they moved her stuff and I was so upset and bothered by that.”
Lee tried to plan an intervention for Sandoval, which didn’t go well.
“We were all very worried for him. So we created this group to really sit down and talk to him. I didn’t include Victoria. This is what was the final straw for all of us. I didn’t include her because he literally started drinking with her and for her,” she claimed. “It was a failed attempt because he didn’t show up to the ‘intervention.’”
While some things never change, the cast of Vanderpump Rules is used to a shake-up … and a touch-up. Vanderpump Rules was introduced to Bravo viewers during a special episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in January 2013. Season 1 starred Lisa Vanderpump, who was a Beverly Hills Housewife at the time, Stassi […]
Multiple Bravo accounts — who follow Robinson’s private Instagram — shared screenshots of a statement from the model. (Sandoval, for his part, hasn’t publicly addressed the claims since he is currently filming season 3 of The Traitors in Scotland.)
“In response to the outrageous lies with the recent Billie and Jo podcast — absolute lies. Response with the TRUTH coming soon,” Robinson wrote via Instagram Stories on Thursday, June 6. “But first let me make something VERY clear. I have never and would never touch belongings that aren’t mine nor have I suggested to do so.”
Robinson continued: “I have nothing but respect for Ariana and it’s not my place to get involved. Girls, shoot your shot at staying relevant with your lies and made up stories but the truth will come out soon enough.”
