‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Tom Sandoval Compares Cheating Scandal To George Floyd & O.J. Simpson

When a reality TV star gets caught up in a cheating scandal, admittedly one that has captured the nation, it’s never a great idea to compare it to the brutal murder of a man at the hands of the police.

But that’s exactly what Tom Sandoval, star of Vanderpump Rules and the man at the center of the cheating scandal, just did in a New York Times profile.

When asked why Scandoval – which kicked off during the Bravo series during the end of last season – had got so big, Sandoval said,  “I’m not a pop-culture historian really but I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?”

At the core of the scandal, Sandoval cheated on his then partner Ariana Madix with one of her best friends, Rachel Leviss. It erupted as the tenth season of the Bravo show was airing but was captured in a number of reunion specials and it’s impact has run through season 11, which is currently on air.

Elsewhere in the profile, Sandoval said, “I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life. I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like, for real.”

Vanderpump Rules is produced by Amazon MGM Studios’ Evolution Media and is exec produced by Alex Baskin, Jen McClure-Metz, Joe Kingsley, Jeremiah Smith, Natalie Neurauter, Lisa Vanderpump, and Ken Todd.