Howie Mandel sets the record straight on his controversy Howie Mandel does all sorts of things podcast episode with Tom Sandoval at the height of Scandoval in April 2023.
On Thursday’s episode of SiriusXM Andy Cohen livethe American talent The judge admitted that he “started watching” Vanderpump Rules after his podcast interview.
At the time of the episode’s release, Andy Cohen and many Bravo fans called out Mandela for not doing enough preparation for Sandoval’s first appearance on air following the bombshell news of his affair with actress Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
While comparing the experience to “taking a deposition and then watching a courtroom,” Mandel, 68, pointed out inconsistencies in Sandoval’s story after studying the hit Bravo show.
“He said he had stopped [with girlfriend Ariana Madix]. He said, you know, he told her, and he told me a story about how, you know, she wanted to have kids and he said, ‘Are you crazy? I broke up with you,’ Mandel said, referring to Sandoval’s previous claims.
Howie Mandel and Tom Sandoval in ‘Howie Does Stuff’. Howie Mandel Goes All About Cheating Drama ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Starring Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix & Raquel Leviss
During his appearance on the podcast, the reality star claimed he tried to break up with Madix, but she refused. He also claimed the Something About Her co-founder asked him about fertilizing her eggs for embryos after their relationship ended.
“She was trying to, like, convince me not to get interrupted … she asked me that day when we were leaving, like – because we talked about fertilizing the eggs, which I never did,” he claimed at the time.
On Cohen’s radio show, Mandel recalled watching Sandoval and “his friend Schwartz get into the … fertility thing by checking his hair, he said.”
“I’m like, ‘Well, that’s not what he told me. He told me that he broke up with her and that it’s crazy that she wants to have kids,'” he continued, adding that it was “a lot of fun” to watch everything afterward, even though he didn’t was a fan of the “hate” he received for “just letting the guy have a platform” and effectively “burying myself.”
Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
Frazer Harrison/Getty
Tom Sandoval ‘put my ass in therapy right away’ after first cheating with Raquel Leviss
Mandel addressed Cohen directly and joked, “Don’t you respect me for that? Why am I a jerk?”
Contrary to his initial reservations about Mandel’s interview with Sandoval, the Bravo boss admitted that his “open mic” actually “worked well for me personally because then I could get grilled.”
“It kind of saved me getting grilled later at the reunion, so actually, as it turns out, maybe I should give you a mazel instead because we do both jackholes and mazels,” he joked.
Ariana Madix ‘wasn’t alone’ since Tom Sandoval split: ‘She had a lot of support’
While Mandel may not have been familiar with Vandepump gang, his daughter and co-host Jackelyn Schultz was a big fan of the reality series. In fact, she showed up to the set wearing Lala Kent’s “Send it to Darrell” hoodie, which he made her take off.
“Every time he said something she didn’t agree with, she kicked me under the table,” Mandel recalled. “Several times she wanted to ask a question and challenge her and I kicked her and said, ‘Look, I don’t know this guy. If you challenge him or if you attack him here, he’ll just shut up. Down and he’ll walk away and not talk. ”
“I think the reason he’s here, as opposed to anywhere else, is because he knows he’s in an ignorant place where there’s no challenge and he doesn’t have to defend himself,” Mandel concluded.
Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix (center) and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss in November 2022.
Faye Sadou/Media Punch/Alamy
Sandoval made headlines when he had a secret months-long affair with Leviss while still in a nine-year committed relationship with Madix. She later broke up with Sandoval after learning of his infidelity with their former costar and friend, and the news shocked the entire group of friends. The outcome of the affair is expected to be shown in the final season Vanderpump Rules.
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Vanderpump Rules season 11 premieres Tuesday, January 30 at 8:00 PM ET on Bravo.
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Source: HIS Education