Ariana Madix is speaking her truth in the recent episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the Vanderpump Rules star, 37, opened up about her split from her boyfriend of nine years after he had an affair with their costar Raquel Leviss. "I thought it was laughable," she told host Andy Cohen of Sandoval's apology tour, which was showcased on Wednesday's Vanderpump Rules season 10 finale. Madix acknowledged that the entire season was difficult for her to watch, but said the most cringe-worthy moment was witnessing
"the fabrication of a narrative that was being formed the entire time without my knowledge, behind my back, by not just my ex-boyfriend but his little flying monkeys, as well."
"Tom Schwartz, mainly," she added, later accusing him of "covering" for Sandoval, 40, and "actively participating in my downfall." When asked by Cohen if she had any suspicions of Sandoval and Leviss's affair, Madix explained,
"Well, when he would not come home or he would be out super late, I would ask him, 'Where were you? What were you doing?' And he would say, 'I was at Schwartz's.' And I would say, 'Really? Let me see your phone.' And he would say, 'Sure, here you go.' So I would look at his texts, I would look at his phone. He was very good at concealing his double life and hiding all of the evidence,"
She continued, noting how she was only "picking up on" something that was "going on with him mentally." Madix denied claims that Sandoval attempted to break up with her before the bombshell affair news broke but alleged that he acted out once she discovered everything.
"From the moment I found out, he was screaming at me. We were in the backyard and he threw a beer can ... he was more concerned about people hearing at TomTom than how I felt at all. I think there's some part of him that's really loving the attention that this has brought him and as long as people continue to give him that attention, he will be happy about it."
As for Leviss, 28, Madix called their initial confrontation about the affair "odd."
"It was like she didn't want to tell me anything. I had to beg, I was screaming, crying, throwing up, begging for some sort of something. I said, 'If you've ever given a crap about me, if you've ever cared, just as a woman, tell me something.' All I could get out of her was there was a kiss and of course she framed it as: 'It was after [the] girls' trip.'"
Madix also called Leviss's decision to file a restraining order against their costar Scheana Shay "pathetic." (Leviss alleged Shay punched her upon learning of the affair and subsequently filed the restraining order but has since dropped it.) When asked if she thinks Leviss and Sandoval are in love, Madix expressed doubts. "I don't know if they even know what that means," she told Cohen, later disputing recent claims that their romance has burned out. "She was sending letters [for Sandoval] to my house four days ago!" Madix also confirmed that forgiving Leviss or Sandoval is "not happening.
"When it comes to her future, Madix said she is working to sell her and Sandoval's house so she can make money off of the deal, and the former pair "do not interact on any level. We have go-betweens, There is a moment in the episode where I say I wish I didn't miss him... but then I realize the person that I'm missing isn't really who he is."
"It's so layered. It's the manipulation, it's the narcissism, it's the double life. There's so many layers to it," she added of why this has resonated with so many. "Everybody has experienced one of those things and can relate to it — and has listened to my ex saying, 'Accountability!' for years."
Madix is also happy in love, moving on with new boyfriend Daniel Wai. Though she kept coy about her new romance, she did disclose to Cohen,
"I am very happy and very satisfied. I feel good, I definitely feel as though my friends have put me in the best position to heal and grow, and I'm honestly just looking forward — only forward — and not looking back."
Madix's WWHL appearance followed the season 10 finale of the Bravo show, which included an explosive confrontation between the Tom Tom bar co-owner and Madix, filmed after she discovered Sandoval's secret relationship with Leviss. He told Madix during the conversation,
"Me and Raquel became really good friends,"
She was hardly satisfied with his explanation, screaming,
"I don't give up a f--- about f---ing Raquel. Your friendship is f---ing bulls--- ... I regret ever loving you."
The end of Sandoval and Madix's relationship in March. At the time, a source said the pair "had been having problems for a while" but his months-long affair with Leviss was "the final straw" for Madix. "She put up with a lot over the years, but she won't sit back and be disrespected this way," the insider added. Both Sandoval and Leviss have since issued public apologies to Madix, who posted her own statement on Instagram on March 16.
"i want to express my most sincere gratitude for the outpouring of love and support i have received from friends, family, and people i've never even met, when i have felt like i couldn't even stand, you all have given me the strength to continue and seen me through my darkest hours. to say i have been devastated and broken is an understatement."
Noting that she was still "reeling from this betrayal on so many levels," she added an implied warning: "what doesn't kill me better run." Since then, Madix has been increasingly taking steps back into the spotlight. She most recently attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner alongside Lala Kent and Lisa Vanderpump, where she said her ex's devastating affair with Leviss has been an important growth opportunity. Madix told Entertainment Tonight.
"[I've learned] that I can do anything. I can handle anything,"
Madix will confront Sandoval again on next week's explosive VPR season 10 reunion. In the trailer for the three-part special, Madix said through tears "I can't think of two worse people" referring to Sandoval and Leviss. When the Schwartz & Sandy's co-owner turned to her, she added fiercely, "Don't even look at me — you don't deserve to look at this" as she gestured to her red revenge dress.
Backstage, Madix told costar Katie Maloney that she didn't "see anything good coming for either of those f---ing rats." Later in the clip, Leviss admitted to being "super selfish." Madix then corrected her: "Selfish does not cover it. Diabolical, demented, subhuman."
The three-part season 10 reunion of Vanderpump Rules kicks off on May 24 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
