'Vanderpump Rules' Stars Tom Sandoval & Raquel Leviss Apologized For A Messy Cheating Scandal
Vanderpump Rules stars Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss are apologizing for a cheating scandal that saw them go behind the back of her bestie and his girlfriend, Ariana Madix.
The whole situation is super messy because not only are they all co-stars on the reality TV show, but Madix and Leviss are actually best friends…or at least they used to be, according to Time.
The whole scandal broke open on March 3 when TMZ reported that Sandoval and Madix had officially called it quits after almost a decade of dating.
A source told PEOPLE that Sandoval and Leviss had been involved in an affair for about six months and when Madix found out, she was “blindsided” and “devastated.”
Both Sandoval and Leviss came out on Wednesday with public apologies to Madix, after fans blasted them online and even went after Sandoval's restaurant.
Sandoval apologized to Madix and "everyone I've hurt" in his statement. "I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love," he wrote. "My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana."
"No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly," he wrote.
He went on to say that he owed her better and that he wishes that things happened "in a different order" so their relationship wouldn't have been tarnished.
Leviss dropped her own statement with ET on Wednesday, in which she apologized "foremost to Ariana" and fans of the show.
"There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana," she wrote.
She added that she's seeking therapy and taking steps to understand herself better. She also cited the tough time she's had since joining the reality show, and said she will now try to focus on her own mental health and learn from her mistakes.
"I don't expect sympathy, understanding or forgiveness," she wrote.
Sandoval previously asked fans to leave Schwartz and Sandy's, the restaurant he shares with co-star Tom Schwartz, out of the whole thing.
“Schwartz & Sandy's might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families,” Sandoval wrote in his statement. “Just like TomTom, I'm a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct your anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong.”
According to reports by PEOPLE, a source confirmed that Madix found out about the affair on March 1, while she was attending a performance by Sandoval’s band.
Madix came across a “history of inappropriate texts,” between Leviss and Sandoval on his phone, along with an inappropriate video.
"Ariana had been there for Raquel when she went through her split with James [Kennedy]. She thought they were friends," one of the sources told PEOPLE. "This isn't something you do to a friend.”
Madix deleted her social media accounts last week and did not immediately respond to the apologies.
Andy Cohen, the executive producer of Vanderpump Rules, confirmed that the scandal was caught on camera and will be featured in the next season, reported Entertainment Tonight.
“You may have heard rumors the cameras were up over the weekend. Yes, the cameras were up. The cameras have been up on everyone, getting reactions, and filming,” Cohen said on his SiriusXM radio show. “So, you will see this play out, in a sense, this season of Vanderpump Rules before the reunion.”
It’s safe to say the coming season will be juicer than ever, although it's unclear what this will mean for future seasons of the show.
