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Ariana Madix appeared in her first post-“Scandoval” interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday night, following the Vanderpump Rules season 10 finale.
After being seen breaking down and screaming at Tom Sandoval after learning of his months-long affair with Raquel Leviss on the show, Ariana opened up about the couple’s reported split, slammed Tom Schwartz for his participation in her “downfall,” and admitted to checking Sandoval’s phone in the months leading up to their breakup.
“When he would not come home or he would be out super late, I would ask him things, and I would say, ‘Where were you? What were you doing?’ And he would say, ‘I was at Schwartz’s.’ And I would say, ‘Really? Let me see your phone.’ And he would say, ‘Sure, here you go.’ So I would look at his texts, I would look at his phone,” Ariana revealed on the May 17 episode of WWHL. “He was very good about concealing the double life and hiding all the evidence.”
Although Ariana confessed to having an inkling that something was off, she didn’t suspect that he was having an affair — or that her best friend was involved.
“I was like, something was clearly going on with him, mentally,” she clarified.
Ariana also clarified what really went down between Sandoval and Miami girl years ago.
“They slept together,” she confirmed. “It was before he and I were exclusive and I didn’t want people to think the absolute worst of the man I thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life with so I defended him.”
As for who else Sandoval slept with, which was teased in the finale, Ariana said she thinks she knows who it was.
“I have a guess. I’m not entirely sure so I don’t obviously want to trash that person or drag their name through the mud. I haven’t spoken to that person in at least a year or so [and] she’s not in the show universe,” she said.
Then, answering questions from Andy, Ariana revealed the WWHL host has “never met her” and added that the unnamed person is a woman.
Moving on to Schwartz, Ariana shot down the idea that he was simply “covering” for Sandoval as he kept his affair with Raquel from her for months.
“I don’t think it was just covering. I think it was actively participating in my downfall,” she stated.
And when asked if Sandoval and Schwartz’s friendship will remain intact, Ariana said that if Schwartz knows what’s best for him, he’ll end the relationship.
“If Tom Schwartz wants to save himself in any way, [their relationship] won’t [last],” she shared.
While Ariana and Sandoval are still living together at their $2 million home in Los Angeles, she told Andy she hopes to sell the property sooner rather than later.
“The plan is, my plan is to sell the house, I want my money out of that house as quickly as possible and I want to move on,” she said.
Looking back at her finale encounter with Sandoval, Ariana said that if she’d known what Sandoval was saying behind her back at the time, she would’ve called out his lies.
“I definitely would have had even more to say. And that was hours long cut down to minutes,” she revealed.
When Ariana was then asked if she believes Raquel’s behavior got bolder as Sandoval continued to delay his promise to break up with her, Ariana said it is possible.
“That’s something that I read online and I thought, ‘That makes a lot of sense, actually,’” she admitted, confirming that Sandoval did not try to dump her multiple times.
As for Sandoval’s suggestion that she should’ve uncovered his affair with Raquel on her own, Ariana slammed the idea as “ridiculous.”
“Also, I had his location because I had the password to his iPad. So, I did look at your location, and you were at Schwartz, so I’m gonna follow you to Schwartz?” she asked, looking into the camera.
Although Ariana found Sandoval’s behavior “more despicable” than that of Raquel, she told Andy that her former bestie did not appear to be sorry for their affair at the Pump Rules reunion taping.
“Absolutely not,” she replied.
Even when confronted about the secret romance, Ariana said Raquel’s demeanor was “odd.”
“It was like she didn’t want to tell me anything. I had to beg, I was screaming, crying, throwing up, begging for some sort of something,” Ariana recalled. “And all I could get out of her was there was a kiss, and of course, she framed it as after girls’ trip, which is insane.”
During last week’s episode of Pump Rules, Ariana and Raquel spoke about the intimacy in Ariana’s relationship with Sandoval. And while the moment was certainly shocking to watch post-“Scandoval,” Ariana said she was actually excited about the discussion at the time.
“I was actually so excited to have that conversation with her because I feel like over the years, I’ve had bits and pieces of those kinds of conversations with other women on the show, and it’s always felt a little bit uncomfortable because I wasn’t as close with those women as I was with Rachel,” she explained. “So I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I love getting to have this conversation with someone who’s actually my close friend.’ And I thought that her expressions and her demeanor was more cause we were filming a finale and that she was leaning in to being like animated and giving it and I truly just was not picking up on what she was putting down.”
Surprisingly, however, that wasn’t the most cringeworthy moment of the season for Ariana. Instead, as Ariana shared, it was the false narrative that was painted against her.
“The fabrication of a narrative that was being formed the entire time without my knowledge behind my back by not just my ex-boyfriend but his little flying monkeys as well … Tom Schwartz mainly,” she revealed.
Also on WWHL, after being asked about claims of a split between Sandoval and Raquel, Ariana said she doesn’t believe their romance has come to an end.
“I don’t buy that at all. She was sending letters to my house like four days ago so,” Ariana disclosed. “I didn’t open it. It’s a crime. But it was addressed to him, and it was her handwriting. I guess [she’s sending them from treatment]. I just brought in the mail, saw it, put it on the table, and walked away.”
“[It was] just the one that I know of, but I’ve been out of town,” she added.
The three-part Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion begins next Wednesday, May 24, at 9/8c on Bravo.