Tom Sandoval took to Instagram on March 8 to share a new statement following his cheating scandal. Tom admitted to cheating on longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, in the statement following the bombshell reports that he had been having an affair with Vanderpump Rules co-star, Raquel Leviss, since the summer of 2022. This was Tom’s second public message about the situation, but the first time that he actually apologized to Ariana.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process,” Tom wrote. “Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. 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.” Tom and Ariana had been together since 2014 before his indiscretions.
“I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us,” Tom continued. “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. My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could have ever captured. 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 with for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”
To conclude his statement, Tom added, “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 contoinue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have and I always will.”
News of Tom and Raquel’s affair broke on Friday, March 3. It was later reported that Ariana found out about Tom’s cheating when she discovered intimate videos of Raquel on his phone. Following the explosive reveal, Vanderpump Rules cameras picked up filming to capture the aftermath. The show’s reunion is set to film in less than two weeks, and all parties are expected to attend.
In Tom’s previous statement about the scandal, he did not apologize for his actions. Instead, he urged former fans not to take their anger out on his restaurants and those who he’s worked with on them. The direction of his message came after the restaurants began receiving an influx of negative reviews online.
“Please leave [Tom] Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation,” Tom wrote on Instagram. “Schwartz, specifically, only found out about this very recently and most definitely did not condone my actions. This was a very personal thing. Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but also, there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families. Just like TomTom, I’m a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct your anger towards me and not them. They ddi nothing wrong. I’m so sorry that my partners and our employees have to suffer for our actions. I will be taking a step back and taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees and partners. I need some time to address everything.”