Tom Sandoval is now apologizing for the affair that has lit up gossip blogs and elevated reality-TV drama to a new level of attention.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process,” Sandoval’s note, posted on Instagram, began.
In a series of reports that created a seismic shift in tabloid culture, Sandoval, who stars on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, became embroiled in a cheating scandal with his co-star. Sandoval had been in a relationship with a cast mate, Ariana Madix, but a bombshell report revealed a months-long affair with fellow cast member, Raquel Leviss. (Leviss had also been implicated in relationship drama concerning other cast members.)
The scope of the scandal elevated from reality-TV curiosity to mainstream attention thanks to the fervor of Bravo fans’ shock. Sandoval’s public apology is a testament to that.
“Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana,” he wrote. “I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly."
The Instagram post also read: “I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.”
Fans of the show who were shocked and gutted by the recent events will likely parse the next sections of his apology for particular meaning.
“My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could ever have captured,” he wrote. “Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order and our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”
His statement ended: “I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people. I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have, and I always will.”
Updates to this story are fast and furious. Bravo is currently filming the cast’s reactions to this news, including scenes with Sandoval and Leviss. Reports indicate that, as one might expect, those efforts are exceedingly dramatic—Sandoval has allegedly threatened to stop filming and Leviss may have fled Los Angeles.
Welcome to the new world of celeb gossip.
