Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval. Bravo (2)
Scheana Shay is not here for Vanderpump Rules costar Tom Sandoval suing Ariana Madix.
“I keep getting messages about this lawsuit. I know you’re all waiting for me to weigh in, so here’s what I have to say,” Shay, 39, began in a video shared via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, July 17. “Tom Sandoval, s–t thing to do after a s–tty thing you already did. Like, what are you thinking?”
Us Weekly broke the news on Tuesday, July 16, that Sandoval, 42, filed a lawsuit against Madix, 39, claiming she “made copies” of NSFW videos of Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and distributed it to “Leviss and third parties” against his authority.
“This is not someone I want to be friends with,” Shay said of Sandoval. “This is not who I align in my values with.”
She continued, “Call me a f–king idiot, OK? I said it at the finale, you know, ‘Don’t make me look like an idiot.’ Well, you did. So many thoughts.” (Post-Scandoval, Shay struggled with where her friendship stood with Sandoval.)
Shay called the lawsuit “cruel” and “vile.” She added, “I think it negates any remorse that you tried to show at the reunion saying Raquel was a coward, or whatever you said about her suing Ariana,” she added.
Back in February, Leviss filed a lawsuit against Sandoval and Madix for revenge porn, eavesdropping and invasion of privacy. (Sandoval has tried to dismiss the suit, while Madix filed her own countersuit.)
“It’s like, y’all were together for almost a decade. You shared a mortgage, you shared bills, you shared passcodes, OK?” Shay said. “She knew your password. So this invasion of privacy? F–k off.”
Shay wrapped up her “rant” by giving a shout-out to VPR, which was nominated for an Emmy on Wednesday. “Congrats to everyone who works on the show except you know who,” Shay concluded.
Madix and Sandoval ended their relationship in March 2023 after she discovered a video of Leviss, 29, on his phone. In the wake of the affair, which viewers watched on the VPR season 10 finale and throughout season 11, Sandoval and Leviss briefly dated. They called it quits in May 2023.
Sandoval has since moved on with Victoria Lee Robinson. Shortly after the lawsuit made headlines, the twosome deleted their social media accounts.
Madix’s attorney addressed the lawsuit in a statement to Us. “It is abhorrent that Tom Sandoval continues to torment Ms. Madix. From engaging in an illicit affair that shattered her home and stability, to months of emotional warfare and now this attempt to further shirk personal responsibility for the effects his actions have had on her and her emotional well-being,” the statement read. “Tom Sandoval knows full well what sort of privileges he and Ms. Madix shared in regard to their personal communication devices.”
The statement continued: “If he or his mistress had their way, it would be illegal for someone to discover their spouse or significant other was having an affair. For Mr. Sandoval to go from begging Ms. Madix for forgiveness to blaming her for his wrongdoing speaks for itself. Even months after The New York Times branded Mr. Sandoval ‘the most hated man in America,’ he has clearly learned nothing and believes it necessary to continue torturing Ms. Madix in a vain effort to rehabilitate his image. Ms. Madix is confident that a jury will see through this latest ploy and dismiss his frivolous claims.”
Sandoval’s attorney also provided insight. “While Tom Sandoval accepts responsibility for his affair, he strongly denies the allegations of the lawsuit filed by Rachel Leviss against him and Ms. Madix,” the statement read. “In order to ensure a fair and just determination of responsibility among all parties involved, we filed a cross complaint on behalf of Mr. Sandoval. This customary legal action was crucial to ensure that liability, if any, is fairly distributed based on the actual level of involvement and fault of each party. We aim to resolve this legal dispute with utmost respect towards all parties involved.”
