'I was a pawn in the game': Tom Schwartz speaks on Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss cheating scandal
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tom Schwartz finally broke his silence about the incident involving his close friend and business partner, Tom Sandoval, whose nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix was ended by Sandoval's affair with 'Vanderpump Rules' co-star Raquel Leviss. After being accused by several cast members of knowing about and concealing Sandavol's affair with his then-girlfriend, Ariana Madix, 37, Schwartz, 40, left the LAX airport on Saturday.
At the airport, the reality TV star said that his good friend and business companion Sandavol is doing "okay," but added that he has been experiencing some problems with "a sense of profound sadness, rightfully so. I think he feels like a piece of s**t." Schwartz chuckled and said, "But he knows he f****d up. The whole thing is just really sad." Schwartz continued, "Luckily, Ariana has a really good support system, and she's with her friends," reported TMZ.
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What did Schwartz say about the affair?
When questioned if he was aware of the affair, Schwartz responded, "I prefer not to talk about that at this time," adding that it will "play out on the show." About Leviss, Schwartz told TMZ he hasn't spoken to her since word of the affair spread, stating that it is "really unfortunate." As for the alleged assault on Leviss, he added that he hadn't talked to Scheana Shay about it. Schwartz also explained whether or not he kissed Leviss to hide their illicit relationship. "No, that's not true. Unless I was a pawn in the game," he declared.
"It's f***ing complicated. That's the understatement of the year. I think Tom's okay," Schwartz noted. "Really I'm just sad about the negative impact it's having on our business, but I think cooler heads will prevail, and I'm just gonna keep on keeping on," he said.
Schwartz was also accused of kissing Leviss at Coachella in April 2022, while going through his divorce with co-star Katie Maloney, 36. At the time, he rejected the rumor, but shortly before his divorce was finalized in September of last year, he kissed Leviss during Scheana Shay'swedding in Mexico in August 2022.
Schwartz & Sandy's
Both 40 years old, Schwartz and Sandoval co-own two Los Angeles companies: Schwartz & Sandy's, which they opened in late 2022, and TomTom, which they co-founded with Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd in 2018. According to a statement on the cocktail bar's official Instagram, Schwartz & Sandy's experienced an "outpouring of outrage" after learning of Sandoval's relationship with 28-year-old Leviss.
Also, Sandoval provided his own statement regarding the company and the individuals his actions had affected. On March 4, he said, "Schwartz & Sandy's might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families. Just like TomTom, I'm a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong."
Moreover, Sandoval requested that his Instagram followers "please leave Schwartz my friends and family out of this situation," saying that Schwartz "specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions." He continued, "This was a very personal thing."
The infamous cheating scandal
Sandoval and Madix split up on March 3, according to People. He allegedly cheated on her with Leviss after she found an explicit video of the former beauty queen on his phone, according to insiders. According to a source who talked with Page Six, Leviss and Sandoval "want to be together" and "have been communicating inappropriately for months."
The cheating allegation first surfaced earlier on Friday when it was announced that Sandoval and Ariana had broken up after it was discovered that he had been 'hooking up,' as per DailyMail.com. The nine-year relationship between Sandoval and Madix is reported to have ended shortly after Madix learned of the alleged infidelity with Leviss.
According to a source who spoke with Page Six, Sandoval and Leviss had been planning to tell Madix about the relationship "for weeks." But they waited so long that Madix eventually learned their secret when she looked at Leviss' conversations on Sandoval's phone.