Tom Sandoval apologises for comparing affair scandal with George Floyd murder

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval has apologised for comparing the firestorm over his affair with co-star Raquel Leviss to the murder of George Floyd.

The affair, commonly referred to as Scandoval, was a pop culture phenomenon when it was exposed last year.

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, under the headline How Tom Sandoval became the most hated man in America, the reality star was asked why he thought it had captured the public imagination.

He replied: “I’m not a pop culture historian really, but I witnessed the OJ 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 of the same?”

The journalist he was speaking to, Irina Aleksander, attempted to provide context, noting: “He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic centre of a nationwide discussion and a major news story; what he communicated instead was something more honest, which is just how much the experience had made him lose perspective.”

However, his comments quickly went viral.

He has since apologised, writing on Instagram: “My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received.

“The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I’m incredibly sorry and embarrassed.”

The news that Sandoval had been cheating on his long-term partner Ariana Madix first broke in March 2023.

The pair were both stars of US reality show Vanderpump Rules, which follows the servers and bartenders of restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant SUR (Sexy Unique Restaurant).

They first confirmed they were in a relationship in February 2014, during a Vanderpump Rules reunion.

It later emerged that their relationship overlapped with Sandoval’s relationship with cast member Kristen Doute.

Since their high-profile split, Madix has been cast in the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.

She was cheered on by a number of her Vanderpump co-stars on her opening night.

Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules is currently airing on streaming service Hayu.