Tom Sandoval.Photo:Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Tom Sandovalis apologizing, this time after clumsily comparing the attention put upon hisheadline-making cheating scandalto that ofO.J. SimpsonandGeorge Floyd.
On Tuesday,theNew York TimesMagazinepublished a lengthy interviewwith theVanderpump Rulesstar, in which he discussed life after becoming what they dubbed “the most hated man in America” forhiding a months-long affairwith then-costarRachel “Raquel” Levissbehind the back of his girlfriend of nine years,Ariana Madix.
“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?”
Tom Sandoval at the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ season 11 premiere in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 2024.Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
In the profile, author and interviewer Irina Aleksander attempted to contextualize Sandoval’s 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.”
But she also noted that Bravo PR andVanderpump Rulesexecutive producer/showrunner Alex Baskin both reached out to her after the interview. “Everyone was concerned,” Aleksander wrote. “What was it that he said about O.J. Simpson and George Floyd exactly? Maybe Sandoval wasn’t ready for this.”
Ready or not, Sandoval is feeling the heat. Multiple Black Bravo stars — includingReal Housewives of Miami’sGuerdy Abrairaand Jordan Emanuel (Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard,Winter House) — called out Sandoval on social media Tuesday.
Guerdy Abraira.Ivan Apfel/Getty Images
“Comparing slinging d— to a Black man being murdered in front of our eyes during Black History Month is something I just don’t have words for,” wrote Emanuel, 31.
“The disrespect… and during Black History Month… WOW just plz 🤫 🤐,” wrote Abraira, adding, “PLEASE reflect on this repulsive statement you made (regarding GEORGE FLOYD r.i.p), especially in Black History Month and take it back!! NOT OK! An immediate apology is in order, sir.”
Other Bravo stars, includingRHOM’s Nicole Martin and Sandoval’s ownVanderpump RulescostarKatie Maloney, also expressed their outrage.
Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss in November 2022.Faye Sadou/Media Punch/Alamy
Faye Sadou/Media Punch/Alamy
Simpson and Floyd weren’t the only names Sandoval invoked as comparison in his interview with theNY Times Magazine.
“I feel like I got more hate thanDanny Mastersonand he’s a convicted rapist," said the Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras frontman, referring to the formerThat 70s Showstar, who wassentenced to 30 years to life in prisonin September for raping two women.
“I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life,” he said, summarizing the reason why he strayed in the first place. “I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like,for real.”
Still, he appeared to take all the hate in stride. “The scandal has made the show so big, it’s kind of cool and crazy,” Sandoval told the publication. “Even though it’s negative and at my expense.”
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Vanderpump Rulesairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. All episodes can be streamed on Peacock.
source: people.com
