Fans of the show Vanderpump Rules watched Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix as committed and loving partners for a decade, and then watched it all collapse. On March 1st, 2023, the news broke that Tom had cheated on Ariana for over 7 months with her best friend Raquel Leviss. The affair was labeled Scandoval. Viewers watched Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules in horror knowing what was happening behind the scenes with the three reality stars. Ariana Madix experienced the worst year of her life with the deaths of her grandmother and dog. Tom was not present for Ariana’s grandmother’s funeral, instead opting to bring his mistress into their shared home.
On the night of March 1st Ariana discovered video evidence of the affair on Tom’s phone. This video was later said by Leviss to be recorded without her consent. Ariana sent the video to Raquel with the message “You’re dead to me.” At the same time, Raquel was on the talk show Watch What Happens Live with another costar, Scheana Shay. The news spread rapidly; Scheana received a call that night and allegedly punched Raquel when she heard. Leviss then secured a temporary restraining order against Scheana, who claimed her acrylic nails made it impossible to punch her. Raquel then checked herself into a mental rehabilitation center and changed her name to Rachel.
Rachel is now suing both Tom and Ariana for illegal distribution of the video. Tom is also being sued by Ariana, as he has refused to move out of their shared home pay Ariana what the house is worth. Ariana and Tom had to pay for a mediator in the house because Ariana refused to speak or be in the same room as him. Ariana has now purchased a 1.6-million-dollar home.
Thankfully, there is justice in the world. Ariana went from 1.4 million followers on Instagram to 2.2 million. Ariana has also reportedly made over 2 million dollars since the affair broke through brand deals and other opportunities. Ariana Madix got a commercial deal from Duracell after Tom had criticized her on camera for not buying him enough batteries. Ariana has also gotten brand deals with Bic, Bloomingdales, Lay’s, T-Mobile, Glad, Uber 1, and now a DSW collection.
Ariana has also starred in a Lifetime movie and was cast on Dancing With The Stars where she made it to the finals. She was offered the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway and made her Broadway debut on January 24th;she was so popular that her run was extended to April 7th. Ariana was also invited to host Love Island USA after Tom said he didn’t want to “sit around with her and watch Love Island.”
Ariana is a great role model to young women. She is proof that you can rise up from the worst of circumstances and find success and happiness. Ariana is a truly inspirational woman and I know I will be following her career as she continues to grow.