Vanderpump Rules: A Timeline of the Tom Sandoval–Ariana Madix–Raquel Leviss Cheating Scandal

News that Vanderpump Rules cast member Tom Sandoval allegedly cheated on Ariana Madix with Raquel Leviss has shaken the Bravo community to its core. 

On March 3, TMZ reported that Madix, 37, discovered her partner of nine years has been having an affair with their costar Leviss, 28. The headlines spiraled from there as sources claimed Leviss and Sandoval, 39, had been going behind the reality star’s back for at least six months—perhaps even before Leviss’s controversial kiss with Katie Maloney’s ex, Tom Schwartz, in August 2022.

From fans who are boycotting Sandoval’s new bar to Vanderpump Rules cast members sharing their reactions on social media, everyone appears to be strictly Team Madix. “Hope you all feel as sick as I do,” Leviss’s ex-fiancé James Kennedy responded on Instagram. “This explains everything.”

According to People, Lala Kent replied to Kennedy’s post, “I’ve been telling y'all! Everyone said I was a ‘bully.’ It’s called YOU TRIGGER ME AND I SEE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE! I’ve known these two are disgusting from the jump.”

But how did this all go down? Here’s a complete timeline of the Tom Sandoval–Ariana Madix—Raquel Leviss cheating scandal.

February 10, 2014: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix confirm their relationship during the season-two reunion before going Instagram-official. At this point, Sandoval has been a member of the Vanderpump Rules cast since the very beginning, while Madix joined the show in season two. 

[While Sandoval’s Instagram post is still up, Madix’s has since been deleted.]

January 28, 2019: Madix says Sandoval “betrayed my trust” by telling his friends about a sexual experience between Madix and Kent in season seven. “I’m not embarrassed or ashamed of what happened between Lala and I, but I do feel like Tom betrayed my trust by telling this story to his guy friends,” she says in a confessional, per People. “My sexuality is not something that is meant to sound cool to a bunch of dudes.”

“When you talk about anyone’s sexuality without their consent, it’s, like, really not okay,” she tells him directly.

October 26, 2021: Madix reiterates her feelings about marriage. “I think the big thing for me is that I’m not really into the whole fanfare of it,” she says on Watch What Happens Live. “It’s really more about the two people. So if it was just about us, you know, I honestly think I would be more open to it. I just don’t want it to be like a big thing about having a giant wedding and a bachelorette party and all that bullshit.”

November 16, 2021: During an episode of Vanderpump Rules, Madix reveals she froze her eggs. “This does not mean that I’m jumping on the baby train,” she says, per People. “It’s about having agency over my own body and my own future. It’s also kind of a nice fun fuck-you to anybody who questions my values or my choices.”

December 5, 2021: Raquel Leviss and James Kennedy call off their engagement around seven months after his May proposal. “After these 5 wonderful years we had together, we decided we have two different goals and made the decision to call off the engagement,” Leviss and Kennedy wrote in a statement. “We love each other very much, but we aren’t in love anymore. We want nothing but the best for each other so please keep any thoughts positive. Sending Love.”

Summer 2022: The affair between Sandoval and Leviss allegedly begins, according to sources who spoke to Page Six and People in March 2023. 

August 26, 2022: Amid Tom Schwartz’s divorce from Katie Maloney, Leviss and Schwartz share a controversial kiss during Scheana Shay and Brock Davies’s wedding in Cancún, Mexico. 

Later, some fans speculate that the kiss was actually a cover-up for Sandoval and Leviss’s affair. 

October 2022: After news of the affair breaks in March 2023, fans speculate that Sandoval and Leviss have been wearing matching lightning-bolt necklaces to express their love for each other. TMZ reports that the necklaces date back to October 2022.

January 9, 2023: Madix denies rumors that she and Sandoval have an open relationship. “We don’t have an open relationship. I’m really not that cool. Thought that was obvious,” Madix tweets, per People. “Bisexual ≠ polyamorous.” [The tweet has since been deleted.]

March 1, 2023: Sandoval is asked by Page Six for the secret behind the “most stable relationship in Vanderpump Rules history.”

“We definitely have our ups and downs for sure,” Sandoval says of his relationship with Madix. “I think we’ve been really good about respecting each other and having each other's backs in a reasonable way.”

In the evening Madix and Sandoval are reportedly spotted kissing at a gig for his band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras. “She was supporting his new single,” a source later tells People. “She had no idea any of this was happening behind her back.”

This is reportedly the night Madix discovers the alleged affair. It’s also the night Leviss comes clean to Schaena Shay after their taping of Watch What Happens Live. More on all of that in a minute.

March 2, 2023: Page Six posts a clip of Leviss discussing a text thread she has with Schwartz and Sandoval.

Leviss also tells Page Six she’s “dating herself” during the interview for their Virtual Reali-Tea podcast. “[I’m] not opposed to dating, but I’m not on, like, dating apps or anything,” she says. “I just, I don’t know, but I’m kind of, like, dating myself and I enjoy being single and I feel like being single has allowed me to really reflect on myself and spend quality time on myself and I feel like that was much needed for me to grow into.”

March 3, 2023: TMZ reports that Madix broke up with Sandoval earlier in the week after discovering an alleged affair with Leviss. “It’s true that they split and cameras are rolling,” a source tells Page Six, while another adds, “The majority of the cast is expected to gather and film tomorrow to share their reactions to Raquel and Sandoval’s affair. Mostly everyone is shook and completely heartbroken for Ariana.”

“They had been having problems for a while, but this was the final straw for Ariana,” a source tells People. “She put up with a lot over the years, but she won't sit back and be disrespected this way.”

According to People, Madix learns about the alleged affair “when a selfie video sexual in nature from Leviss popped up on his phone” on March 1. She reportedly “began scrolling and saw their history of inappropriate texts.” A source claims the affair has been going on for “upwards of six months.” 

“She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn’t even scratch the surface of how she feels,” the source says. “This is someone she thought she knew, someone she planned to spend the rest of her life with. You can’t even put into words that betrayal.”

After the news breaks, Sandoval is photographed packing his bags into a car outside their home. Later in the evening he seemingly responds to the scandal during a concert at City National Grove in Anaheim, California. “Have you ever been one of the most hated people in America?” he asks the audience, per Us Weekly.

Meanwhile, Madix spends time with Sandoval’s ex Kristen Doute. Doute and Sandoval dated from 2007 to 2013. In 2020, Doute and Stassi Schroeder were fired from Vanderpump Rules following racist actions against costar Faith Stowers.

“I stan Ariana. This is in real time,” Doute says in the Instagram video on March 3 while hugging Madix. “I love you so much.”

The pair share a kiss before Madix says, “I love you.”

Doute continues, “I love you more than anything in the whole wide world, and I’ll kill people for you.”

March 4, 2023: Lala Kent cuts the price of her makeup collab with Leviss by more than half. Give Them Lala’s Bambi Eyed B*tch Pallett, which dropped last year for $42, is now priced at $20. “Everything must go,” Kent captions an Instagram story of the sale, per People.

Sandoval, meanwhile, shares an Instagram statement that was mostly devoted to defending his best friend and business partner, Tom Schwartz, whom he says found out about the situation only “very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions.”

“I fully understand and deserve ur anger and disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz my friends and family out of this situation,” he writes. “This was a very personal thing.”

In the statement, Sandoval says he’s “so sorry” for how this will effect his business partners and employees but does not address Madix. “I need some time to address everything else,” he writes. “Sorry for everything.”

March 6, 2023: Page Six reports that Madix felt “gaslit” by Sandoval during a taped confrontation about the affair. “He gave her several excuses as to why he never copped to cheating,” a source says of the conversation. “Tom said he didn’t tell her about the affair with Raquel because he was worried about how it would impact her mental health, even claiming that he was especially concerned after her grandma died last year.”

Another source adds, “The fact that they own a home together was also brought up, and how he thought that would make their breakup even more complicated.” 

His excuses allegedly did little to sway fellow Vanderpump cast members to his side. According to a source, Madix’s friends and castmates are “disappointed Tom seems unable to take accountability for his actions or express substantial remorse.”

March 7, 2023: Regarding the intimate video found on Sandoval’s phone, TMZ reports that several Vanderpump Rules cast members received a letter from Leviss’s lawyers on March 6. The explicit video, captured during a FaceTime session between Leviss and Sandoval, was the smoking gun that revealed the affair when Madix reportedly discovered it on her ex-partner’s phone, as well as several months’ worth of sexts.

Leviss’s attorneys warned in their letter that the video was recorded “illegally without Raquel’s knowledge or consent” and noted a California law that prohibits “nonconsensual pornography,” otherwise known as revenge porn. The letter reportedly warns that sharing the video would potentially violate this revenge porn law and orders anyone in possession of it to immediately delete it. The letter does not accuse Sandoval of illegally recording or sharing the FaceTime video, but as he and Leviss were the only two people on the FaceTime call, this would seem to be the implication.

March 7, 2023 (Part II): Leviss files for a temporary restraining order against Vanderpump Rules castmate and former friend Scheana Shay, per Page Six. This comes after a reported “heated confrontation” between the two after Leviss came clean to Shay about the affair with Sandoval following their Watch What Happens Live appearance. Shay has been publicly supportive of Madix ever since.

March 7, 2023 (Part III): In a statement shared on Instagram, Sandoval apologizes for his actions and to Madix directly. “I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did,” he writes. “The choices I made hurt so many people. I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have, and I always will.” 

Read the full statement here:

March 8, 2023: Leviss breaks her silence with an exclusive statement sent to Entertainment Tonight. “I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships,” she writes. “There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.” 

“I don't expect sympathy, understanding, or forgiveness,” she adds. “I will prioritize my mental health and learn from my mistakes.” See the statement in full on ET’s Instagram below:

On March 8, TMZ also published photos of Leviss’s black eye, which she allegedly received from Shay. According to the publication, the legal documents claim Shay punched Leviss in her left eye.

During her own appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Lisa Vanderpump says she believes Shay “slapped her around the chops” because of her feelings for Madix. “But you know what, her feelings would be running really high because Ariana was her best friend for like 12 years,” Vanderpump says. “You forget it’s not just the show. They were together working four or five years before the show. They grew up together. She very much kind of has Ariana’s back.”

March 11, 2023: Schwartz denies kissing Leviss to cover up her affair with Sandoval. “That’s not true. Unless I was a pawn in the game,” he told TMZ at the airport.

He also commented on how his business partner is fairing right now. “[Sandoval’s] okay, I think. Relatively speaking, I mean, he has a sense of profound sadness, rightfully so, that he’s a piece of shit. And to some extent, maybe he is,” Schwartz says. “But he knows he fucked up, and the whole thing is just really sad.”

He continues, “Luckily, Ariana has a really good support system, and she’s with her friends. I hope she’s living a good life, just indulging. Hope she goes on a living spree. I’m just hoping this whole thing blows over.”

Schwartz doesn't say how long he knew about the affair: “You’ll see it play out on the show.” He adds: “Just sad about the negative impact it’s having on our business.”

March 13, 2023: People publishes photos of Madix celebrating a friend’s wedding in Mexico. The reality star is all smiles. 

March 16, 2023: Ariana Madix makes her first official statement on Instagram.

March 20, 2023: Madix tells Sandoval she wants him to “die” in the midseason trailer for Vanderpump Rules.

March 22, 2023: Lifetime announces that Madix will star in the network’s upcoming movie Buying Back My Daughter. Meanwhile, Leviss gives her first Scandoval interview to TMZ outside a nail salon in Valley Village, California. “I apologized to [Ariana] over text, but she didn’t receive it very well,” she says, in part. She also says that she and Sandoval are on a “break.”

Madix’s response? “I don’t pay attention to any of that,” she tells paparazzi when asked about Leviss’s interview, per Page Six.

March 23, 2023: During the season-10 reunion taping, Leviss and Shay film separately due to the restraining order. Later, Leviss “likes” a video of her speaking with Sandoval on set, which was posted on the fan account @pumprules. Madix arrives at the reunion taping wearing a bright yellow sweatsuit with the words “1-800-BOYS-LIE” on it. The hoodie is now sold out. 

In the evening Dayna Kathan shares an Instagram story of Madix and friends booing a news clip of Sandoval and Leviss at a bar. In the video, Madix boos loudly while giving a thumbs-down, while others point their middle fingers and shout, “Fuck you.” 

Meanwhile, Sandoval and Leviss go out for dinner together after the taping, according to photos published by TMZ on March 25. While they reportedly “didn’t engage in any PDA,” the pair are seated very close together and are not joined by any other members of the cast, per TMZ. 

March 24, 2023: Leviss drops her restraining order against Shay a day after filming. “My team tried to work with Scheana on a mutually beneficial agreement hoping to get the TRO dropped earlier so we could film [the Vanderpump Rules reunion] together,” Leviss says in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “The TRO was intended to provide a cooling-off period after I was punched but I didn’t want to continue with the permanent RO nor did I want to cause Scheana further agony and stress.”

“I don’t know what they do,” Madix says when asked about the new Scando-couple. “At this point, I don’t care about anything that either of them does.”

March 27, 2023: Sandoval mirrors his perhaps star-crossed lover Raquel by giving a TMZ interview outside a Los Angeles strip mall. He doesn't say much, though—mostly just different versions of “no comment.” And while he regrets the way the scandal played out, he adds, “Hindsight's always 20/20, man.”

March 28, 2023: Madix launches revenge merch. “Hey guys! I’m on set so I have to be quiet, and I can’t talk long. But I really wanted to share something exciting with you. If you go to this link, something cool is there. Okay, I love you guys,” she says. The link brings you to a merch store with products inspired by iconic lines she's said on Vanderpump Rules including “born fucking cool” and “bad bitches only.”

March 29, 2023: Leviss is photographed leaving Sandoval's home with multiple bags while Madix is out of town. The photos spark sleepover rumors, but a rep for Sandoval tells E! News that Madix “did not stay the night.” The rep claims Leviss was “out shopping in the area” and just “stopped to say hi and bye to Tom” for about 20 minutes. 

March 30, 2023: After the photo of Leviss leaving Sandoval's house with the Béis Weekender Bag goes viral, the luggage company owned by Shay Mitchell goes on defense. “PSA: This is not a sponsored post,” the brand's Instagram account posts above the image. The caption reads: “We provide the bag, not the baggage.”

This post will be updated.