During its 10 years on the air, Vanderpump Rules has seen many scandals and shocking moments, particularly when it comes to the cast members' relationships and the tangled web they weave. But, nothing prepared fans of the Bravo series for the recent reveal that Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss have been having an affair for months—even though there have been signs that went unnoticed until recently.
Not only is the news surprising because Sandoval has been in a nine-year, well-documented relationship with co-star Ariana Madix that now appears to be over, but also because Leviss was thought to be having a fling with Sandoval's best friend and business partner, Tom Schwartz. She was also engaged for a time to another co-star, James Kennedy. The reveal has brought up questions about who knew what and when. Was her flirting with Schwartz a cover-up? When did Leviss and Sandoval become more than friends? Were they ever planning to come clean to Madix? (According to Page Six, she found out by spotting an explicit video on Sandoval's phone.)
In light of the bombshell, Vanderpump Rules has resumed filming, so these questions should be answered soon and within the current season (and reunion). For now, here are some of the recently uncovered hints that Leviss and Sandoval were having an affair.
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One sign of a deeper connection between Leviss and Sandoval that fans found following the reports was that they have both been wearing lightning bolt necklaces, including on social media and at public events. As reported by People, fans discovered that over the past six months, Sandoval has worn a lightning bolt necklace regularly while Leviss wore one occasionally. Fans believe that it was their way of showing their commitment to one another. A lightning bolt is also part of the logo of one of the bars Sandoval and Schwartz co-own, TomTom.
It's been rumored that Sandoval and Leviss' relationship has been going on for six months, if not longer. So, Halloween would definitely fit into that time range.
In October, Sandoval dressed up as Leviss for Halloween, wearing a wig, sunglasses, and an oversized TomTom sweatshirt. Leviss had worn the same outfit to BravoCon in New York City earlier that same month. At the time, it was thought that Sandoval was just making light of the drama involving Schwartz, Leviss, and Schwartz's ex-wife Katie Maloney, who was upset by their flirtation.
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Sandoval performs with a cover band called Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras. Fans have noticed that, in hindsight, Leviss was in the crowd—and without other cast members—at more shows than you might expect a friend to attend. Of course, Madix was also at those concerts, but she was in a nearly decade-long relationship with Sandoval.
On Monday's episode of Radio Andy, Bravo producer Andy Cohen talked about both Madix and Leviss watching Sandoval perform at Bravo's October fan event.
"I think was going on during BravoCon," Cohen said of the 2022 gathering. "There's video that people were posting of Tom & The [Most] Extras. And I was at that show, and I'm standing there and Raquel's behind me and Ariana's in front of me, and you could see how they're both looking at Sandoval."
In April 2022, rumors surfaced that Leviss kissed Schwartz at the Coachella music festival. Schwartz—who split from wife and Vanderpump Rules co-star Maloney in March 2022—denied the rumor on Twitter, noting that he wasn't even at Coachella, as reported by Us Weekly.
Now, some fans believe that the truth may be that Leviss kissed Sandoval at Coachella, and that whoever saw them assumed it was the other Tom—the single one.
On March 1, just two days before TMZ broke the news about the affair, Leviss appeared on Watch What Happens Live with co-star Scheana Shay. During a game in which the pair had to shout out their answers to questions at the same time, Cohen asked them which Tom is hotter, and they both responded, "Sandoval." This surprised Shay and Cohen since Leviss says on the current season of Vanderpump Rules that she has "a crush" on Schwartz.
On Radio Andy, Cohen said that he overheard a conversation between the two women during the subsequent commercial break. Shay told Leviss she answered Sandoval, because she was sure Leviss was going to say Schwartz. Cohen said that Leviss then told her co-star, "Well, Sandoval has abs," and shrugged. Cohen said he "didn't think twice about it" at the time, but that, after the affair reports came out, he DM'd Shay to talk about it.
Another Watch What Happens Live episode that comes off differently in light of the affair is the Feb. 8 episode that featured Sandoval and Schwartz. During their appearance, Schwartz was asked a number of questions about his flirtation with Raquel, but he appeared nervous and kept turning to Sandoval for help with his answers. Cohen called this out during the show and commented on it further during Radio Andy.
"When Schwartz was on with Sandoval, I believe on premiere night, there was some odd energy between them," Cohen said. "Schwartz was looking at Sandoval the entire time, almost for guidance on answers. So the big question is: When did Schwartz find out about this? I mean, that's one of the big questions."
There are other interviews that fans are reading into as well, including one in July 2022 in which Leviss said she had become close with Sandoval.
As of now, only four episodes of the current Vanderpump Rules season have aired, which means that there's a lot more to come—especially now that production restarted in light of the affair. And the trailer includes some possible clues as to what was going on among the cast members. (Warning: Explicit content in video above.)
In one clip, Sandoval and Leviss are talking in a pool with Madix close by. Right after this, the trailer cuts to Shay telling Sandoval, "Katie said you and Ariana have an open relationship." (Madix denied this soon after the trailer dropped.) On social media, some fans have suggested that perhaps someone on production knew of the affair between Leviss and Sandoval, which is why they included these two clips that otherwise didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the storylines.
So far, Leviss has not responded to the news. Best Life has reached out to her representative for comment but has not yet received a reply.
Sandoval, however, addressed the situation in a statement posted on Instagram. It reads in part, "I fully understand and deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz my friends and family out of this situation." He goes on to ask that people do not harm his businesses because of his actions, since he is not the only owner nor employee. "I need some time to address everything else. Sorry for everything," he concludes. He does not mention Madix or Leviss in the statement.
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