Credit: KWKC/MEGA, MEGA
Ariana Madix responded to Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss telling each other, “I love you,” on Watch What Happens Live.
While also addressing a number of other “Scandoval” topics,” including Raquel’s stint in rehab and her family’s reaction to his affair, Ariana spoke of her new man, Daniel Wai, and offered updates on her sandwich shop, Something About Her, and potentially impending appearance on Dancing With the Stars.
“I mean, we went there, and then we never came back,” Ariana said of the Pump Rules reunion on the May 17 episode of the WWHL: After Show. “All gas no chaser.”
“Relentless. Foot on the gas the entire time,” host Andy Cohen agreed.
In recent months, “Scandoval” has been discussed by Jennifer “J-Lo” Lopez on The View, addressed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and covered on CNN.
“My mind was completely blown by seeing J-Lo even have any knowledge of my existence. Watching Molly Shannon talk about this… Kristin Chenoweth, one of my heroes talking about… Like, honestly, I don’t even know… It’s mind-blowing. It’s insane,” Ariana said of all the buzz.
Then, when a caller wanted to know what Ariana thought about Jax Taylor‘s suspicions regarding Sandoval’s infidelity and their relationship being true, Ariana admitted to being surprised.
“I mean, who would’ve thought, right?” she asked. “Me, especially, would have never thought that me and Jax would be like, bonding over a mutual hatred of someone. Like, honestly, it’s just wild.”
On the live broadcast of WWHL, after slamming Raquel’s restraining order against Scheana Shay, which has since been dropped, as “pathetic,” Ariana said that while she doesn’t believe Sandoval and Raquel ever had a threesome with Tom Schwartz, who Raquel also hooked up with amid season 10, she “can’t put anything past them at this point.”
According to Ariana, her family “considered [Sandoval] family” before learning of his affair with Raquel but now “hate him.”
“He sent a really cringe text to my brother [Jeremy Madix]. My brother was like, ‘This man’s dead to me,'” she revealed.
But while Sandoval has made contact with Ariana’s family, Sandoval’s family has not contacted Ariana, and she is no longer communicating with Sandoval.
“We do not interact on any level. We have go-betweens, so either Logan or Tom’s assistant,” she shared.
Although Ariana doesn’t speak to Sandoval, she has seen clips of him online, including one that featured him singing, “Raquel is not for me,” at a concert.
Speaking of the moment, Ariana said she doesn’t know why he said it.
“It seems so weird. I honestly think that there’s something about him that’s really loving the attention that this has brought him, and I feel as though as long as people continue to give him that attention, he will be happy about it,” she suspected.
And while she didn’t watch his interview with Howie Mandel, she saw snippets.
“It was an hour and a half of just nonsense, but I definitely saw clips, I read recaps, as James Kennedy said, rock bottom moment,“ she responded.
After revealing that the idea that Sandoval was planning to come clean to her before the reunion so she wouldn’t have to defend him was “ridiculous,” Ariana responded to recent DWTS reports.
“I don’t know anything yet, it would be really cool though! You guys wanna ask me? I would love to do it,” she confirmed.
For now, she’s focused on Something About Her with co-star Katie Maloney.
“Something About Her is in the design phase right now. I’m sure a lot of people, I’ve seen a TikTok of walk-bys, seeing paint going on the walls and stuff, so we’re looking at this summer,” Ariana revealed.
In addition to the excitement around her new restaurant, Ariana is also enjoying time with her boyfriend Daniel, whom she was first spotted with at Coachella in April.
“I’ll just say that I am very happy and very satisfied,” she gushed of their relationship.
As rumors swirl in regard to the status of Sandoval and Raquel’s relationship, Ariana said she didn’t know whether or not Raquel was in treatment.
“I don’t know what she’s doing. Obviously, mental health advocacy is something very important to me. Today is Mental Health Day, and the month. I don’t know what her situation is at all, so I can’t really speak on it,” she stated. “I obviously don’t know her on any level, none of my friends know her on any level anymore. [But] if she’s getting help, I mean, I think she needs it.”
Throughout the past several weeks, different clues about Sandoval’s romance with Raquel have been uncovered, including Raquel’s matching lightning bolt necklace with Sandoval, which Ariana never took notice of.
“No! And it’s crazy because I was out with her, this was a Wednesday night I found this out. I was out with her on Saturday night. She was like begging me to come hang out with her, we went out dancing, had this great time, and she was definitely wearing it then, but I never clocked that there was some sort of… It never was a thing,” she admitted.
During the finale episode, Sandoval made an odd statement, noting that he “normally would delete” something like what Ariana found on his phone. And, looking back at the shocking moment, Ariana said that it was “apparently” not uncommon for him to have evidence of infidelity on his device.
“I do know he had that app on his phone that’s like a calculator, it’s like a vault where you can hide secret stuff. He was very committed to the double life,” she explained.
Despite everything that has come out about Sandoval, Ariana told Andy she never considered parting ways before learning of his relationship with Raquel.
“No I didn’t,” she confirmed.
As for Raquel telling Sandoval she loves him after thinking he said it first, Ariana laughed and said, “That was cringe.”
Ariana also said that when it comes to being in “love,” she doesn’t “really know if either of them knows what that word means.”
While Sandoval didn’t initially say, “I love you,” to Raquel, he did return the sentiment after she said it to him.
The three-part Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion begins next Wednesday, May 24, at 9/8c on Bravo.