Tom Sandoval slammed for ‘repulsive’ interview comparing ‘Scandoval’ to George Floyd’s murder
Open mouth, insert foot.
“Vanderpump Rules” star Tom Sandoval, infamous for the show’s “Scandoval” controversy, is now comparing that reality show flare-up to “big things” like the OJ Simpson trial and the murder of George Floyd.
Yep. He really is.
Sandoval, interviewed by the New York Times in a story published Feb. 20, was asked why he thought “Scandoval” blew up into headlines last season on “Vanderpump Rules” when he cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with her BFF Rachel Leviss.
Here’s what he had to say.
“I’m not a pop-culture historian really,” Sandoval said. “But I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?”
Once Sandoval’s comments went public, several Bravo stars took issue with them, and one even demanded that he issue an apology for his “repulsive” comments.
“Hey Tom Schwartz you wanna come explain what he was really trying to say? … the f – – k?” co-star Katie Maloney, 37, wrote under an Instagram post of Sandoval’s quote, in reference to her ex-husband and Sandoval’s best friend.
“PLEASE reflect on this repulsive statement you made (regarding GEORGE FLOYD r.i.p) especially on black history month and take it back!! NOT OK!” “Real Housewives of Miami” star Guerdy Abraira added. “An immediate apology is in order Sir!”
Journalist Irina Aleksander, who wrote the profile, gave Sandoval the benefit of the doubt for his off-the-wall, tone-deaf answer.
“I think I knew what he meant,” she wrote. “He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center of a nationwide discussion and a major news story; what he communicated instead was something more honest, which is just how much the experience had made him lose perspective.”
Aleksander added that, after writing up the interview, “a Bravo publicist rang me late on a Friday” because some of what Sandoval said had gotten back to the network. The publicist wanted to know what it was that Sandoval said.
“My intentions behind the comments I made in The New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received,” Sandoval said in a statement released late Tuesday.
“The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I’m incredibly sorry and embarrassed.”
“Scandoval” made headlines last year and turned Sandoval into one of the most hated villains in reality TV history when he cheated on Madix with Leviss.
It even generated the hashtag “Scandoval” which amassed over 1.2 billion views on TikTok.
Leviss, 29, eventually departed “Vanderpump Rules” amidst the “Scandoval” drama.
According to People, she’s been “dipping” her “toe back into drama” with her new podcast, “Rachel Goes Rogue,” on which she’ll discuss “Vanderpump Rules” twice a week.
“My purpose for doing that isn’t to just be in the drama necessarily,” she told People. “I want to create a healthier environment for people watching reality TV. I want to be a part of creating ethical reality TV. And I think a part of that is educating people who are watching these shows about what we’re actually consuming.”
Madix, meanwhile, appeared on Season 32 of “Dancing With the Stars” and is seeing a new beau, fitness coach Daniel Wai.
She’s also on Broadway through March 24, playing Roxie Hart in “Chicago.”
Madix, who debuted on January 29, “gave a killer performance with the polish and skill of a Broadway veteran, according to People. “She received standing ovations by curtain’s close and smiled brightly for the crowd as she took her bows.”
