Tom Sandoval is opening up about the reason behind his decision to block Scheana Shay, and her family members, on Instagram.
After Scheana, 38, revealed on the premiere episode of Vanderpump Rules that Sandoval not only blocked her, but also her podcast, her sister, and her daughter, Summer Moon, 2, Sandoval, 41, explained why he cut social ties with his castmate, revealed if she’s still blocked, and reflected on the emotional state he was in after the sudden death of longtime friend Ali Rafiq.
“I knew Ali. He came to visit Tom, super nice, Tom loved him like a brother, obviously, they were just so close. He was so protective of Ali. They just had always the best of times together. He’d always come to music festivals so everyone gets very close those nights. So it was hard for sure,” James Kennedy, 32, shared on the January 30 episode of the Vanderpump Rules: After Show.
Scheana also knew that losing Ali was going to “take a huge toll” on Sandoval, which prompted her decision to send him a text message.
“I felt like I wouldn’t be a human if I didn’t reach out and send my condolences, and I think honestly everyone pretty much in the group around then did, even [Ariana Madix] did,” Scheana revealed.
While James reached out as well, neither of them got a response.
“No one did,” Scheana confirmed. “I didn’t even need a response it was just, when the response was him blocking me, I was like, okay.”
After James noted that the social media diss was “so Tom,” Sandoval looked back on what he described as “the worst periods of this whole situation.”
“Emotionally, mentally, [I] just [was] really down and really upset and just broken,” he admitted. “I’m scrolling through constantly, and I see Scheana with another podcast episode interviewing my gardener’s nephew like to talk to me about my f*cking sleeping habits and how that is the way a narcissist sleeps and all this sh*t. And I’m like, f*cking over it. And then I get a text message from her about like, ‘Oh my gosh, let me know if you need anything at all. We’re here for you, Tom,’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I need you to back the f*ck off for like 24 hours. Like, stop obsessing over me.’”
Even Scheana admitted that talking about “Scandoval” on her podcast became a weekly occurrence.
“But it did stop after that happened,” she clarified.
“That’s why I was f*cking pissed,” Sandoval explained. “I was super upset. I was insulted that she had texted me as I’m scrolling through and hearing her and [Brock Davies] like laughing hysterically calling me and [Raquel Leviss] dumb and sh*t. You gotta be f*cking kidding me.”
According to Scheana, she felt that Sandoval blocking her was his way of telling her, “F*ck you,” and making it clear that he needed her for more than the death of his friend.
“So kind of, ‘F*ck you. You don’t get to be here for me now when you haven’t been here for me.’ But with what he did to Ariana, he didn’t deserve for any of us to be there during that time,” she noted.
In addition to blocking Scheana, Sandoval explained why her toddler ended up blocked as well.
“I don’t block people ever really, but when I do I just hit ‘block account and any accounts associated with it.’ I would do that so if people were trolling me they can’t just start another account and do it again,” he shared. “For some reason I guess that blocked Summer Moon’s account.”
When Sandoval was then asked if he still had Scheana blocked, he said, “No, I don’t think so. No. I unblocked everybody.”
Meanwhile, Scheana noted, “I think he still follows my mom.”
Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.