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KEY POINTS
- Tom Sandoval said he “fully” deserves fans’ “anger and disappointment” toward him
- Sandoval said his pal Tom Schwartz only discovered his actions “recently” and “did not condone it”
- Sandoval apologized to his business partners and employees who “have to suffer” for his actions
Tom Sandoval’s cheating scandal has begun to affect his loved ones and businesses.
Fans called for a boycott of Sandoval and his friend and business partner Tom Schwartz’s new Los Angeles bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, after news broke Friday that Sandoval and his longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix called it quits because he allegedly cheated on her with their “Vanderpump Rules” co-star Raquel Leviss.
On Saturday, Sandoval broke his silence on the reports by sharing a statement via Instagram. He asked the public to leave his family, friends and business partners, including Schwartz, out of the drama and instead direct their anger toward him alone.
“Hey, I fully understand and deserve ur [sic] anger and disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation,” the musician and restaurateur began.
“Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions. This was a very personal thing,” he added.
Sandoval — who also owns the TomTom restaurant with Schwartz — went on to say that he didn’t want his partners and employees to be affected by his poor choices and asked fans to show the business some grace.
“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,” he wrote. “Just like TomTom, I’m a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur [sic] anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong.”
Sandoval apologized to his partners and his employees who “have to suffer for my actions” and said that he will be taking a step back from the businesses.
“I will be taking a step back and taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees and partners,” he wrote. “I need some time to address everything else. Sorry for everything.”
News broke Friday that Madix broke up with Sandoval following nine years together after she allegedly discovered Wednesday that he had been communicating inappropriately with Leviss for months.
After reports surfaced of Sandoval’s alleged affair with Leviss, fans and social media users speculated that Schwartz may have been aware of it for a while now but kept it secret for his friend.
“What I need to know: Was Schwartz the intentional red herring and covering for Sandavol this whole time with the Raquel/Schwartz fake storyline?” one fan wrote on Reddit.
“Raquel definitely made out with Sandoval at Coachella, and everyone heard ‘Tom’ and just assumed it was Schwartz,” another suggested.
“So was Schwartz covering for Sandoval with Raquel this whole time? [I] wouldn’t put it past any of them, and we know he had a live-in girlfriend this whole time… All three of them are garbage,” a third person wrote.
“Schwartz was the Trojan horse hiding Sandoval and Raquel. That’s why they’re not talking about roommate girlfriend. The guys always covered for each other while cheating at the beginning of the show,” another commented.
Schwartz reportedly hooked up with Leviss at their “Pump Rules” castmate Scheana Shay’s August 2022 wedding to Brock Davies, six months after Schwartz split from wife Katie Maloney.
But Leviss told Us Weekly Wednesday that while she “definitely considered” dating Schwartz, “it was more of, like, a fun makeout.”
Later that night, Leviss and Shay appeared on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.” When they were asked which of the Toms is hotter, Leviss replied, “Sandoval.”
Madix and Leviss have not released any statement about the cheating allegations.
Madix has since deleted all her social media accounts.
McCall and Nikki Ryan Photography
