Here’s When Schwartz Really Found Out About Tom’s Affair With Raquel

The drama on Vanderpump Rules exploded during Season 10. After nearly 10 years together, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix split due to Sandoval’s affair with Raquel Leviss. The cheating scandal, appropriately dubbed “Scandoval,” was a shock to the cast as Raquel was previously linked to Tom Schwartz.

On March 3, TMZ reported that Ariana ended her relationship with the musician after finding out about his transgressions. Bravo producer immediately returned to filming, giving fans the chance to watch the drama unfold on-screen.

“I’ve been with you for nine years,” Ariana told Sandoval, during the season finale. Adding, “When you were literally like, wearing combat boots and skinny jeans and didn’t have a f—ing dime to your name.” She then goes on to slam Raquel and suggest that the Vanderpump Rules newcomer is “searching for her identity in men.” Sandoval attempts to apologize for the affair, but Ariana is unwilling to accept his pleas.

And while the romance between Sandoval and Raquel was made public in March, Schwartz may have known about the affair much sooner.

The timeline of Sandoval and Raquel’s cheating scandal may be a bit confusing to some, but Schwartz appears to have a clear recollection of when the affair began. During an April appearance on Watch What Happens: Live, Schwartz told Andy Cohen that he was first made aware of his friend’s romance with Raquel in 2022. “I learned in late August about the affair, the one-night stand,” he revealed.

But according to Schwartz, he was not the only person in the Vanderpump Rules circle that knew about the affair. Scwartz went on to claim that Sandoval came to him in January 2023 and confessed that he was in love with Raquel. “After that, Tom kind of got flagrant, you know? He was brazened,” Schwartz said. Schwartz further suggests that the newly formed relationship then became an “open secret,” and that he was under the impression that Sandoval had already separated from Ariana.

Schwartz has also had to deny that his previous fling with Raquel was a coverup for her affair with Sandoval. “That’s not true. Unless I was a pawn in the game,” he told TMZ.

Despite the immediate backlash, Sandoval and Raquel have continued their relationship. On March 4, Raquel publicly apologized for her part in the affair but did not comment on the future of her relationship with Sandoval. A short while later, Sandoval sat down with Howie Mandell and revealed that he and Raquel had defined their relationship status. “We’re really good friends. We’re not putting any label on it,” he said during an appearance on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast.

According to Page Six, Sandoval and Raquel have since ended their romantic relationship. On May 17, sources told the publication that Sandoval was “not the one for” Raquel and that she decided to end their relationship for good. Sandoval has yet to address the report.