Ariana Madix Broke Her Silence On The 'Vanderpump Rules' Cheating Scandal & Shots Were Fired
Jilted Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix is back on social media and taking no prisoners in the wake of the show's massive cheating scandal, which saw her ex Tom Sandoval admit to an affair with her former friend, Raquel Leviss.
Madix had been MIA for nearly two weeks, dating back to March 3, when TMZ first reported that she'd split from Sandoval after almost a decade. Reports began to emerge that Sandoval had been hooking up with Leviss, and the two ultimately came out and publicly apologized to Madix for going behind her back.
Madix reactivated her Instagram account early Thursday and finally shared a statement on the whole scandal, in which she thanked her supporters and offered a brief update about herself.
"To say I have been devastated and broken is an understatement," she wrote. "However, I know that I am not in this alone. So many of my closest friends are also grieving this loss right now and reeling from this betrayal on so many levels."
She added that she is "so f*cking lucky" to have a great support system and hopes to repay everyone who loves her.
She then wrapped up her note with an ominous message: "What doesn't kill me better run."
Madix's fans flooded the comments with supportive messages.
"Yessssss so happy you feel supported and loved!!" Selling Sunset star Chrishelle Strause wrote in the replies. "You look so beautiful and the last sentence... chefs kiss."
Madix, Leviss and Sandoval are all stars of Vanderpump Rules, which is currently airing its 10th season. However, the real-life drama has been bigger than the show lately, and it's only getting wilder.
Madix and Sandoval had been together for many years, but People reports that he and Leviss had been involved in an affair for about six months before it was discovered.
The smoking gun in this case was apparently a sexy video chat between Levis and Sandoval, which he recorded and left on his phone, a source told People. Madix found that video and sent it to herself, and now Leviss is suing both of them over the secret recording, according to court documents obtained by People.
Sandoval and Leviss issued separate apologies to Madix and to their fans last week.
"I wish things happened in a different order and our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that it began with," Sandoval said of Madix in his statement. "I owed Ariana better."
Leviss described the whole thing as "indefensible" in her own statement, and said that her feelings for Sandoval "have always been sincere and born out of a loving friendship."
"Knowing how many people we hurt, I need to understand my choices and learn to make better ones," she wrote.
Sandoval and Leviss did not immediately reply to Madix's statement on Thursday morning.
It's also unclear if we'll get to see the three of them address the scandal in the Season 10 reunion special, as TMZ reports that Leviss is reluctant to be part of it.
Here's hoping the show delivers some sort of closure before Season 10 wraps!
