NEWSTom Sandoval Finally Divulges Current Relationship Status With Raquel Leviss After Scandal Explodes
April 11 2023, Published 3:52 p.m. ET
Tom Sandoval is coming clean about where he stands with Raquel Leviss after cheating on girlfriend Ariana Madix with the former pageant queen.
“We’re not putting any label on it,” the reality star said on the "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" podcast. “We’re just kind of taking a break.”
However, Sandoval noted that he and Leviss, 28, are still "good friends" after the drama imploded.
Mandel then asked the 40-year-old if he and Leviss are friends "with benefits."
“Not right now,” he claimed.
This is the first time Sandoval has spoken out about the situation at length. He previously apologized to Madix and his friends in lengthy social media posts, while Leviss stated she's not a "victim" in this scenario.
"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," the Vanderpump Rules star said in a statement in March. "There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana."
Elsewhere on the podcast, Sandoval revealed he and Leviss smooched before Scheana Shay and Brock Davies‘ wedding in August 2022.
“We just kissed. It was magnetic,” he noted. “I felt something that I hadn’t felt in so long emotionally.”
- Tom Sandoval Begs Fans To 'Leave' Tom Schwartz Alone After Raquel Leviss Affair Unravels: 'Direct Your Anger Towards Me'
- Raquel Leviss Doesn't Expect Ariana Madix to Forgive Her After Scandal: 'I Am Remorseful'
- 'I Felt Like I Was Her Gay BFF': Tom Sandoval Says He & Ariana Madix 'Put on a Front' While Filming
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“The feelings were something very, very strong,” he continued. “Those feelings that I had started to take over in a sense. Logic went out the window. Because I wasn’t experiencing that [with Ariana] — I hadn’t experienced that [before].”
The whole scandal began when Madix was looking at Sandoval's phone when he was performing on stage. Since then, Madix has been living her best life without Sandoval.
Lat week, Sandoval's bestie Tom Schwartz shared his thoughts about the romance.
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"First of all, Ariana, love you. I know you don't love me right now, but I still love you. But also Tom, I know the whole world hates you, but I am not going to abandon you, old buddy. I am not going to abandon you. He knows he's a monster for what he did, and if you see him, maybe give him a hug, even if he doesn't deserve it. Give him a hug, he's down bad," he stated on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
