Tom Sandoval is still reeling after being shut out by his ex Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and his group of friends.
On Tuesday in the episode Vanderpump Rulesthe Schwartz & Sandy co-owner, 41, opened up about wanting to hook up with Rachel, 28, amid the fallout from their headline-grabbing affair that ended his nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix.
“Rachel interrupts me. That pain comes in waves,” he explained. “I was keeping a diary and not drinking, it was like I was trying to connect with her in some way because I knew she was keeping a diary and she couldn’t drink.”
Tom Sandoval, Rachel Leviss.
Elyse Jankowski/Getty, River Callaway/Variety
Tom Sandoval had to accept that Rachel Leviss was ‘done’ with him when he didn’t hear ‘a single word’ for a month
The reality star showed his sidekick Tom Schwartz photos of him and Rachel that he “sneaked into” Special forces and wondered “how happy they are”. As he looked at the photos, Sandoval was overcome with emotion and broke down in tears in his closet, telling Schwartz, “I just look at those pictures and think, this is never going to happen again.”
Sandoval then admitted that the loss of Rachel’s company hit him hard.
“I’ve lost almost all my friends, and now I’m losing Rachel, it’s a lot for me emotionally,” he said. “There’s a part of me at that thought when it comes out [from the mental health facility] maybe we can both be in a healthy place to see each other again and connect, but I realize that’s never going to happen and it really really breaks my heart.”
Schwartz, 41, tried to reassure him, saying, “Tom, if it’s any consolation, I feel this in my heart and soul, I’m telling you, dude, you’re on the back of this.”
However, Sandoval quickly disagreed and shed light on the reality of the situation.
Tom Schwartz (left) and Tom Sandoval at The Bravos from Paris Theater in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, November 3, 2023.
Ralph Bavaro/Bravo via Getty
Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss recalls lengths Tom Sandoval went to talk to her after scandal: ‘It was manipulative’
“No, that’s not even remotely true. They treat me like I’m fucking Scott Peterson and that’s gonna stay with me as fucking Scott Peterson,” he said, referring to the convicted murderer.
“You’re not Scott Peterson, didn’t he kill his wife?” Schwartz asked, and Sandoval added, “Allegedly.”
The comparison comes after Peterson’s conviction for the 2002 murder of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, which is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Innocence Project. Sandoval has previously received backlash for comparing the attention his headline-grabbing cheating scandal garnered to that of OJ Simpson and George Floyd in The New York Times Magazine interview last month.
Schwartz admitted that seeing his friend “in bad shape” worried him, saying, “For the first time in a long time, I don’t know how to help Tom. I was just racking my brain trying to think of someone who might have a little more knowledge in in this area. Someone who has been through this who can show Tom that there are better days ahead of him.”
In the end, he decided it was time to call Vanderpump Rules alum and Valley star Jax Taylor in hopes he could provide some guidance after his own cheating scandals with estranged wife Brittany Cartwright and ex Stassi Schroeder.
Tom Sandoval (left) and Jax Taylor.
Nicole Weingart/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Why Tom Schwartz Said It Was “Only a Matter of Time” Until Jax Taylor Was “Divorced and Miserable”
“I know Tom and Jax, they haven’t really communicated in a long time,” Schwartz explained. “They’re not real friends anymore, but I also know that deep down they love each other. Maybe Jax can, you know, give him some advice from one person who, you know, has engaged in infidelity with another.”
However, Sandoval and Jax didn’t see eye-to-eye at their boys’ night out. Sandoval explained that he felt Jax “always felt some kind of competition with me, which I never understood and [it’s] just unfortunate, because we’re best friends.”
“But I think as time went on, I realized that nothing brought Jax more joy than celebrating other people’s failures and misery,” Sandoval added.
Jax, 44, then confronted him about not taking responsibility for his actions, saying: “I know what you did was wrong, but what I did was also wrong… The only problem I had with this whole situation was how you handled it.”
Jax added that it was a “humbling” experience to take on the responsibility, and Sandoval responded, “I must be humbled that I only have something interesting to say when you’re talking about me.”
Jax Taylor at Bravo’s ‘The Valley’ Premiere Party March 14, 2024
Michael Simon/Shutterstock
As they continued to argue, Jax added, “At least when I did, I owned the s—, my life is the best it’s ever been. I grew up. I’ve done my work to get where I am now and I’m going to have a great life, a great home. I got everything in the world that I could want and I am happy. You are literally a disgrace.”
However, Jax quickly realized he was in Sandoval’s shoes, telling the cameras, “I totally understand where Tom is. I know what it’s like to hit rock bottom. I had the best job in the world Vanderpump Rules but I let my ego get the better of me a little and I fucked it up.
Jax also addressed his own 2020 firing from the hit Bravo series following his racist tweet from 2017 resurfaced, explaining: “I was in such a dark place because I felt like I had lost everything. Financially, we were like, ‘F—, what are we going to do now?’ My wife was pregnant at the time. It was rough. I’m getting emotional, I’m choking just thinking about it. But I can’t sit and be ‘poor me’. I have to think of something. Put on my big boy pants, start from scratch.”
He then told Sandoval, “I wish you the best,” and hugged him.
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Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Bravo.
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Source: HIS Education