Tom Sandoval hopes ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix is finally able to move on from him.
While appearing on The Viall Files podcast Tuesday, the Vanderpump Rules star, 40, said he wishes for Madix, 38, to “move on” and “leave me behind,” ten months on from his cheating scandal with their former costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, which ended his nine-year relationship with Madix.
“I think her biggest thing is, like, stop, like, focusing on — don’t focus any energy on me,” Sandoval said of where the pair stand now. “Leave me behind,” he added.
“That’s not really for you to say,” challenged host Nick Viall.
In response, Sandoval, who was joined by friend and costar Tom Schwartz on the podcast, called out Madix for being “a little spiteful” in her behavior towards him as he said “it’s not a good look” overall.
“She’s entitled to her spite. When it comes to you,” Viall, 43, said in defense of Madix.
Sandoval, however, still insisted that his ex needs to move on. “No, no, no, no. But, like, 10 months later, let it go,” he continued. “Keep going, keep doing you … Just live your life, keep going, keep doing you, forget me, keep going. It’s just, it’s not a good look. I just want her to, like, move on. You know what I mean?”
Sandoval and Madix’s relationship came to an end in March 2023 after his months-long affair with Leviss, 29, was exposed. News of the affair emerged after filming had wrapped on season 10 of the show, with the Bravo cameras picking back up to capture the fallout.
Leviss went on to enter a mental health treatment center, and opted not to return to the series for season 11, which premiered on Tuesday.
Additionally on the podcast, Sandoval shared his regret over how the whole saga went down as he vowed never to cheat on his future partner in the same “way” as he did on Madix.
When Viall asked Sandoval if he thinks he is “ready to protect someone’s heart” following the fallout from his affair, Sandoval replied, “Am I ready to protect somebody’s heart? Yes, of course I am … I don’t know what to say except I f—ed up … It doesn’t matter the scenario, it doesn’t matter. I f—ed up, and I do know that. I do love hard, I really do.”
Sandoval went on to explain that upon reflection, he believes he acted on his affair with Leviss out of “low self-worth” as he added, “I regret it, hardcore, I really do.”
The reality star’s latest interview comes as season 11 of Vanderpump Rules hit our screens and delved into the aftermath of the cheating scandal.
In the episode, Madix was navigating her living situation with Sandoval following the end of their long-term relationship.
“Three months ago, when Tom blew up our lives. I was not prepared to be kicked out of my house and start a whole new freakin’ life so even though we still live under the same roof, I’ve been able to maintain a no-contact policy,” she explained. “We communicate via his assistant Ann, which is great for me because I don’t have to look at his stupid face but bad for Ann because that’s literally her job.”
She also touched on her new romance with boyfriend Daniel Wai, saying, “I met Dan at one of my oldest friend’s weddings, literally ten [or] 11 days after everything freakin’ blew up. He’s a personal trainer and bartender and he lives in New York so we’re doing [a] little long-distance thing.”
Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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