'Vanderpump Rules' Resumes Filming: What to Know About Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss' Affair
Cameras are back up and rolling, with plans to include the cheating scandal in season 10.
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Last week,Vanderpump Rules stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix announced the end of their relationship after being together since 2013 when she first joined the show. Now, cameras are back up and rolling as the drama plays out, with plans to include the fallout of the breakup in season 10.
News of their split sent shockwaves through the pop culture-obsessed world, but why? ET takes a closer look at how we got here.
Feb. 10, 2014
Nearly 10 years ago, Sandoval and Madix confirmed their relationship during the season 2 reunion episode of Vanderpump Rules. The couple then went Instagram official on their accounts. (Madix has since deleted her Instagram.)
The couple got together after Sandoval learned his then-best friend, Jax Taylor, was secretly hooking up with his then-girlfriend, Kristen Doute.
It is believed Sandoval and Madix hooked up at least once while Sandoval was dating Kristen.
Jan. 28, 2019
The couple hit choppy waters when Sandoval outed Madix for hooking up with co-star Lala Kent. During a Vanderpump Rules episode, fans watched as Sandoval told a group of his male friends about the encounter and ran the story by Kent. Word got back to Madix who was very upset.
According to People, Madix shared in a confessional interview, "I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of what happened between Lala and I, but I do feel like Tom betrayed my trust by telling this story to his guy friends. My sexuality is not something that is meant to sound cool to a bunch of dudes."
May 16, 2021
Wedding bells were ringing on the horizon. Vanderpump Rules stars James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss become engaged.
The pair took to Instagram to share the exciting news, alongside some stunning snapshots of the proposal, and Leviss' shiny new sparkler as well.
Leviss shared a group of photos from the big proposal event, which took place at the same location as where the Coachella Music Festival is held.
"James proposed at the iconic Empire Polo Fields of “RACHELLA” Friday night... and I said YES! I’m over the Coachella moon ✨🌵🌙 #RACHELLA," Leviss captioned the slideshow post.
Oct. 26, 2021
Madix opened up more about her feelings on marriage. “I think the big thing for me is that I'm not really into the whole fanfare of it,” she said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “It's really more about the two people. So if it was just about us, you know, I honestly think I would be more open to it. I just don't want it to be like a big thing about having a giant wedding and a bachelorette party and all that bullsh*t.”
Nov. 16, 2021
During an episode of Vanderpump Rules, Madix revealed she froze her eggs. “This does not mean that I'm jumping on the baby train,” she said. “It's about having agency over my own body and my own future. It's also kind of a nice fun 'f**k you' to anybody who questions my values or my choices.”
Dec. 5, 2021
Kennedy and Leviss go their separate ways. The Vanderpump Rules stars took to Instagram to share that they were calling off their engagement. The surprising split came just six months after Kennedy popped the question.
"After these 5 wonderful years we had together, we decided we have two different goals and made the decision to call off the engagement," Kennedy wrote alongside of a photo of him and Leviss from what appears to be the Bravo reality TV show's set. "We love each other very much, but we aren’t in love anymore. We want nothing but the best for each other so please keep any thoughts positive. Sending Love."
Leviss shared the same photo and statement on her page, informing her followers of their split.
June 2022
Multiple sources come forward to numerous outlets claiming that the affair between Sandoval and Leviss has been going on for at least several months, starting around June 2022.
"This has been going on for upwards of 6 months," a source claimed to People. "All the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed."
The source told the outlet that Madix was "blindsided" by the cheating, and that "devastated doesn't even scratch the surface of how she feels."
A source for Page Six described as "an insider" told the outlet that Leviss "has slept over at Tom and Ariana’s house when Ariana’s been out of town," and that the affair began "last summer."
Jan. 9, 2023
In a since-deleted tweet, Madix denied that she and Sandoval were in an open relationship after the season 10 trailer of Vanderpump Rules showed the couple confronted with the rumor, to which Madix tweeted, "We don't have an open relationship. I'm really not that cool. Thought that was obvious."
March 3, 2023
Sandoval and Madix call it quits.
A source close to production also confirmed to ET that cameras were back up and rolling as the drama played out, with plans to include the fallout of the breakup in season 10, which is currently airing on Bravo.
A source told ET, "Some cast members had suspicions that something went down with Sandoval and Raquel while filming, and are considering the split [as] confirmation."
Another source told ET, "Tom and Raquel’s incident has created a major split in the group with almost everyone against Tom and Raquel. The group feels like Tom has been going through some sort of midlife crisis, with the creation of his band and acting out at times. The girls are rallying around Ariana, but know in time she’ll be OK."
March 5, 2023
Sandoval finally publicly addressed the news of their split and the cheating allegations in a lengthy Instagram post.
"Hey, I fully understand and deserve ur anger and disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz my friends and family out of this situation," he wrote, seemingly confirming the cheating allegations. "Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions. This was a very personal thing."
The 39-year-old reality star also urged fans to leave his bar, Schwartz and Sandy's, out of it, and stressed that his business partners and employees have done "nothing wrong."
March 6, 2023
The Vanderpump Rules reunion is set to film in two weeks and Andy Cohen can’t wait. The Bravo boss confirmed on his SiriusXM Andy Cohen Live radio show that the reunion taping was quickly approaching.
"This is a reunion that's going to be… I'm girding my loins," he said.
March 6, 2023
James Kennedy returned to the set of Vanderpump Rules and gave a sneak peek of what fans can expect following Sandoval and Leviss’ affair.
The 31-year-old DJ posted a video to his Instagram Story on Monday, March 6, of himself, dressed in a sports coat, on the set of the hit Bravo show, ready to film an interview with the episode’s clapboard showing the scene labeled "#Scandoval." Bravo also shared a photo from the set.
For more on #Scandoval, check out the links below.
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