Tom Sandoval showed some remorse for cheating on Ariana Madix with Raquel Leviss a few days after filming the Vanderpump Rules reunion. The reality star, 39, briefly chatted with TMZ in California on Monday night (March 27) and said that “hindsight’s always 20/20,” when he was asked if he’d go back and change what he did. Tom also admitted that he “could’ve handled things way better,” in regards to his affair with Raquel, 28, amidst his 9-year relationship with Ariana, 37.
Tom dodged most of TMZ‘s questions, including where he currently stands with Ariana and Raquel and what went down at the reunion. But he did admit that the public backlash over the scandal “has been rough” on his businesses. The reporter also asked Tom why he think he’s getting so much heat for his affair, to which Tom said, “I just think it was really unexpected.”
This was Tom’s first time talking to the press since the scandal broke on March 3. The Bravo star shared his first statement about the scandal via Instagram on March 4, where he asked fans to leave Tom Schwartz and his family and friends out of the controversial situation. Tom said that he was “sorry for everything” but didn’t mention Ariana at all in that statement.
Tom finally publicly apologized to Ariana in a second Instagram statement, shared March 8. “I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love,” Tom said. “No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly. I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that.”
News of Tom and Raquel’s affair broke on March 3, two days after Ariana found out about Tom’s cheating when she allegedly discovered intimate videos of Raquel on his phone. Ariana dumped Tom once she learned about his affair. “They had been having problems for a while, but this was the final straw for Ariana,” an insider told PEOPLE about the split. “She put up with a lot over the years, but she won’t sit back and be disrespected this way.”
Following the explosive reveal, Vanderpump Rules cameras picked up filming to capture the aftermath of the scandal. The reunion show was filmed on March 23. Two days later, Ariana shaded Tom and Raquel when paparazzi interviewed her as she was getting out of her car in LA. “I don’t know what they do,” Ariana said in a video obtained by Page Six. “At this point, I don’t care about anything that either of them does,” she added.
