Fans of Vanderpump Rules or reality TV in general will likely be familiar with Tom Sandoval’s cheating scandal. He cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with Rachel Leviss (formerly Raquel Leviss), and their actions resulted in a bitter fallout and a lot of hurt. Everyone had taken sides, including their co-stars and the public, but Tom was not left without friends.
Celebrity jewelry designer Kyle Chan was among Tom’s supporters, although he does admit that his friend, who he referred to as “family” in an interview with Page Six, was wrong. “I know for a fact that it was Tom’s fault. It was not, you know, it’s not rocket science,” he said.
Why Did Kyle Chan Support Tom Sandoval During His Cheating Scandal?
Some people may have chosen to distance themselves from Tom Sandoval and the bad publicity he was getting, but Kyle Chan was not one of these people. He stood by his friend, and he explained to Page Six why this was. “But I also think that whoever needs me at the time, I would stand by them, and that was my only takeaway,” Kyle explained. “I didn’t like what Tom did; it was obviously not OK. But I also know that they’re all my family, so you’re not gonna just kick your brother to the curb when everybody does.”
Supporting Tom did not come without consequences, some of which Kyle detailed in his interview, as he revealed: “It was not an easy path, this whole year and a half.” He continued, “I did get a little bit [of backlash], but I feel like a lot of people understand my position and the reason I think the main support that I got was from all the cast members, including Ariana. They were quite understanding. And so I think because of the fact that the cast members were not hating on me, I didn’t get as much hate from the public.”
In the same interview, Kyle also commented on the difficult relationship between Vanderpump Rules cast members and how he feels that the situation could be resolved in the future. Maybe. “After all these seasons, I’ve learned that when they fight, somehow, they’ll come together again because they have very strong friendships,” he shared.
The Fallout Of Tom Sandoval And Ariana Madix’s Relationship After He Cheated
Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix had been together for nine years at the time of the cheating scandal, but their relationship was allegedly imperfect. “They had been having problems for a while, but this was the final straw for Ariana,” an insider told People of the fallout. “She put up with a lot over the years, but she won’t sit back and be disrespected this way.”
“This has been going on for upwards of six months — all the while, Tom [Sandoval] was sleeping next to Ariana in bed,” an insider shared. “She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn’t even scratch the surface of how she feels.”
They continued, “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.”