When did it all begin? Peter Madrigal weighed in on how Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval behaved before their affair was uncovered — and hinted that he suspected something was off.
“Let’s just put it this way, I found it very interesting — I’m not gonna go into the details, because there are certain things I can’t go into details about — but how do I put this, they were hanging out quite a bit without Ariana [Madix] around,” the SUR manager, 39, said during the Thursday, March 9, episode of the “Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend” podcast. “In the back of my head, I’m like, ‘This is weird, but OK, maybe Tom’s just trying to show her the ropes or something like that.’ Some ropes!”
Us confirmed on March 3 that Sandoval, also 39, and Madix, 37, called it quits after the TomTom co-owner was caught cheating with Leviss, 28. The Fancy AF Cocktails coauthors had been dating since 2014.
Vanderpump Rules cast members and viewers were shocked by the scandal, but Madrigal believes some people connected to the show knew about the affair before it made headlines last week.
![Pump Rules' Peter Madrigal Says Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss' Interaction Was 'Weird' Pre-Affair, Addresses Whether Tom Schwartz Knew](/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Pump-Rules-Peter-Madrigal-Says-Tom-Sandoval-and-Raquel-Leviss-Interaction-Was-Weird-Pre-Affair-Addresses-Whether-Tom-Schwartz-Knew.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
“I know this for a fact. I’m not gonna reveal any names, but I know that a few people knew about this and tipped Scheana [Shay] off,” Madrigal claimed, explaining his theory about how Madix discovered the infidelity. “That’s the way I think the scenario happened. I do know some people knew about it for a while.”
The University of Southern California graduate thinks Shay, 37, confronted Leviss about the situation while taping Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on March 1 before telling Madix what she’d heard. Leviss has since filed for a restraining order against Shay, claiming that the “Scheananigans” podcast host physically assaulted her after learning about the affair.
The “Good as Gold” singer, for her part, has firmly denied hitting her costar. “This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Raquel, period,” Shay’s lawyer, Neama Rahmani, exclusively told Us Weekly in a statement on Thursday. “The supposed dark markings around her left eye have been there for months.”
The statement continued: “Neither Scheana nor other cast members want anything to do with Raquel going forward. The judge has only heard a one-sided account of what happened, and we look forward to presenting the full and true story at the March 29 hearing.”
Madrigal, meanwhile, said that he doesn’t know what happened between Shay and Leviss, but noted that he found out about the scandal on March 3 when everyone else did. The filmmaker also wasn’t sure whether Tom Schwartz knew about the affair before things went public.
![Schwartz and Sandy’s Addresses Backlash Against Restaurant After Tom Sandoval's Split From Ariana Madix Amid Raquel Leviss Affair](/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tom-sandovals-restaurant-faces-backlash-after-raquel-leviss-affair-inline-02.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
“That’s a good question,” Madrigal said on Thursday. “Here’s the way I’m gonna put it. Those two are like brothers. Anything I’m doing, I’m telling my BFF or my brother Jude. So, it’s hard to believe that Schwartz didn’t know anything. … But I’ll believe that he didn’t know [until hearing otherwise].”
The Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner initially reacted to Sandoval and Madix’s split on March 3, sharing a screenshot of his Magic 8 Ball app telling him his day wouldn’t be relaxing. “I asked my magic 8 ball if it was going to be a chill day 💀,” Schwartz wrote via Instagram. “My reply is no,” the app’s response read.
Schwartz — who hooked up with Leviss at Shay’s August 2022 wedding — hasn’t issued any further public comments on the scandal.
“I do feel sorry for Schwartz, because he can be a little bit, like, ‘OK, I’ll go along with it,'” Madrigal said on Thursday.
Kristen Doute, however, doesn’t feel the same way. The Michigan native, 40, slammed Schwartz during the Friday, March 10, episode of Shay’s podcast, saying that she thinks he needs to speak up amid the drama.
“Tom Schwartz is a f–king p–y, and he needs to man up,” Doute said on Friday’s episode of Dear Media’s “Scheananigans” podcast.
“Enough is enough. He’s just burying his head in the sand and thinks that things will just go away and things will happen,” Doute, who was fired from Pump Rules in 2020, said. “It’s like he can be honest with us in real time and texting, ‘I don’t stand for this’ or ‘I really feel this way,’ but he doesn’t do anything about it.”