Tom SandovalHis friend group was in for an upheaval after his cheating scandal.
Sandoval and his now ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix had many of the same friends before his affair with them Vanderpump Rules Co-star Rachel 'Raquel' Leviss made headlines. After Sandoval and Madix broke up in March 2023 due to his infidelity, most of their close friends publicly sided with her.
“Since the scandal broke, I've lost a lot of old friends,” Sandoval explained on a February 2024 episode of the Bravo hit series. “So I focused on the ones that stuck around.”
Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules followed Sandoval's attempt to rebuild his inner circle. Shortly after filming began, Sandoval threw himself a birthday party with many new faces. Sandoval told cameras that he invited the people who remained loyal to him in the wake of his personal woes.
“I can't express how grateful I am for all the people who stuck around. These people have put up with so much hate because of the things I did,” he said emotionally during season 11, admitting he felt “really bad” about the backlash his friends faced. “Just being my friend, it really means a lot to me. More than anything else.”
His colleague Vanderpump Rules however, costars had different opinions about Sandoval's friends. Madix said her ex surrounded himself with people on his payroll.
In the meantime, James Kennedy joked about Sandoval's newest friends. (Bravo also got in on the joke by labeling each person at Sandoval's birthday party to represent how many people were associated with the reality star's music career.)
“Tom's party is like a who's who? Like who the hell are you guys? Kennedy joked in a February 2024 episode. “Tom, you used to be the coolest guy on the block. Watch now!”
Keep scrolling to get to know Sandoval's inner circle: