Kristen Doute claims Tom Sandoval 'gaslit' ex Ariana Madix into believing his affair was HER fault
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: According to Kristen Doute, Tom Sandoval allegedly "gaslit" his former girlfriend Ariana Madix into believing that his infidelity was her fault. Their castmate Kristen Doute, 40, poured fuel on the flames with a new podcast interview on March 16, one day after Katie Maloney, 36, criticized her 'Vanderpump Rules' co-star Raquel Leviss, 28, for having an affair with Tom Sandoval, 39. On Thursday's episode of the 'Viall Files' podcast, Doute detailed what transpired between the former couple when Madix learned of Sandoval's months-long romance with co-star Raquel Leviss.
During their conversation with 'The Bachelor' alum Nick Viall, 42, Doute alleged that Tom told his now-ex, Ariana Madix, 37, that they dated for "convenience." "He was just gaslighting her." Regarding Tom and Ariana's breakup, she alleged that there was no sincere apology, as per Page Six.
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'He was just gaslighting her'
"He was just gaslighting her," Doute opened up about the pair's heated argument, which was captured for Season 10 of 'Vanderpump Rules.' "The was no genuine apology," Doute stated. The former reality TV star continued, "He was saying how she never supports him, she doesn’t validate him. He was blaming her." Doute, who dated Sandoval from 2007 to 2014, asserts that Sandoval continued to offer excuses even after he and Madix split up.
"Of course it made her mad, but then when I filmed with her, she’s like, crying and holding up her phone going, ‘So, he’s saying our relationship is that of convenience and contentment,’ or something. Not love and romance." Doute continued, “And she’s immediately just flooding tears, looking at her phone going, ‘So, all of these memories, all of these wonderful trips we took, all of these videos I have, all these kissing photos, this was all bulls—t?'” Doute, however, seemed unsurprised by her ex's actions, remarking, "That’s Tom to a T."
In addition, the former reality TV star, who labeled Leviss "dumb" and "no personality," wasn't surprised that Sandoval went after her. Leviss, she continued, "makes Sandoval feel cool and talented." Page Six's request for a response from Sandoval and Madix's representatives was not immediately answered.
Doute has been very vocal about the incident, but Madix finally went out on the subject on Wednesday night, over two weeks after finding X-rated texts from Leviss on Sandoval's mobile phone. In the lengthy Instagram message, the 37-year-old thanked her friends and followers for their "outpouring of love and support" through her "darkest hours."
The infamous 'VPR' breakup
On March 1, Madix learned that her ex-boyfriend Sandoval had been having an affair with Leviss after she read "inappropriate" conversations between the two on his phone. She was utterly taken off guard by this, and the word "devastated" barely begins to describe how she feels, as per insiders, who spoke to PEOPLE. "This is someone she thought she knew; someone she planned to spend the rest of her life with. You can't even put into words that betrayal," sources added.
On March 7, Sandoval apologized to Madix on his Instagram post and formally acknowledged that the accusations were real. In contrast to the previous apology, which omitted Madix, this one was his second in four days. The day after, Leviss released a statement of her own, stating, "I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships."