There’s something about her. Ariana Madix is continuing to open up about her shocking split from Tom Sandoval amid his affair with Vanderpump Rules costar Rachel Leviss.
The former SUR bartender, 37, delved deeper into the scandal during the Wednesday, May 24, episode of Alex Cooper‘s “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “To be very clear, I didn’t lose him,” she asserted. “He lost me. But I think that I trusted in him so much … that I trusted his perspective on things.”
She added: “I feel like we would have so many amazing times together, so then if there was a couple weeks that were not great or if I was, like, unsure about something [in the relationship]there was so much other stuff that was great. … It was almost, I think, hard to say, ‘Oh, this person’s not right for me,’ because I also had never been in a relationship that long before.”
When asked on Wednesday whether she thought she ever “turned a blind eye” to any red flags, Madix conceded that she did. “But I think I was given a lot of assistance in doing that because I would bring things up and I would be shot down,” she claimed. “I was very much committed and I feel like I was doing my absolute best as a partner. But I don’t think I would do anything differently, just because I feel like all I can do is my best — and whether my best was good enough or not for anyone, that’s what it was.”
Us Weekly confirmed in March that Madix and Sandoval, 40, called it quits after nearly a decade of dating due to his infidelity with Leviss — who Madix refers to by her given name, “Rachel,” on the podcast. Cameras picked back up on season 10 of the Bravo reality series — which previously wrapped production in fall 2022 — to capture the aftermath of the scandal for an emotional season finale.
“I regret every moment that I stood up for you, defended you, supported you,” Madix told her ex in the May 17 episode. “You’re worth nothing and I want you to feel that deep in your soul. I want you to hear those words coming from the mouth of the woman who f–king stood by you and loved you and was ready to build the rest of my life around you.”
The Fancy AF Cocktails coauthor reminded Sandoval that she was there for him when he “didn’t have a f–king dime to your name driving a 1997 Honda Civic” — long before Leviss, 28, came into the picture. “That girl is searching for identity in men. She has no identity of her own,” she added. “She was willing to stoop so low as to f—k one of her best friend’s life partners and that is someone you think is a good person you should be around?”
Both Sandoval and the beauty queen issued public apologies to Madix in March when their affair made headlines. Leviss has since checked herself into a facility to seek professional mental health treatment amid the backlash.
The TomTom co-owner, meanwhile, has been performing in cities across the country with his band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras. While he’s remained relatively tight-lipped about the ordeal following his April interview with Howie MandelMadix has been candid about her experience since the Pump Rules finale aired.
“I have nothing to say to either of them,” she told The New York Times of the Missouri native and Leviss when asked whether she was “open to filming” with the duo should they return for season 11. “Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends, and neither of them are in the group of friends, so, good luck.”
She reflected on the heated confrontation she had with her ex on camera as they discussed his infidelity, slamming his “sad sack act” in the Thursday, May 18, profile. “I knew he was trying to be that person so that I would be the angry person; I could see what was happening in front of my face, and it was really frustrating,” she said. “Honestly, when he started yelling at me, I felt a little bit satisfied that he was finally going to be the real him.”
Madix’s “Call Her Daddy” interview dropped ahead of the three-part Pump Rules reunion, which kicks off Wednesday. As fans eagerly await more details about next season, costar James Kennedy exclusively opened up to Us about how the cast will — or won’t — move forward from the scandal.
“It’s just such a classic story of betrayal. … It was something that I don’t feel like [we] will ever come back from,” he said on Thursday while reflecting on the “heartbreaking” finale. “So, it was kind of a farewell almost.”
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