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Raquel Leviss Claims Tom Schwartz Knew About Her Affair With Tom Sandoval ‘From the Beginning’
Former Vanderpump Rules star Raquel “Rachel” Leviss said that Tom Schwartz knew about her affair with Tom Sandoval from practically the moment it began, despite the bar owner claiming he found out at a much later date.
“Schwartz knew since the very beginning,” Raquel, 29, claimed on the Tuesday, January 16 episode of her “Rachel Goes Rogue” podcast.
“I got a phone call from Tom after we hooked up for the first time. My mind was racing, I was feeling so much guilt and shame about it. And I finally got a call from Sandoval, he was at Schwartz’s apartment and that was a safe space for him,” the former reality star explained.
“So, Schwartz knew before we even had a conversation to talk about it and what the game plan was going to be because immediately I was going to film with Ariana and our group of girls that night and I was saying I was seeing Ariana later,” she continued, referring to Sandoval’s girlfriend of nine years at the time, Ariana Madix. The pair split in March 2023 when his affair with Raquel was uncovered.
Raquel’s account runs counter to what Schwartz, 41, said about when he found out his best friend was fully cheating on Ariana, his longtime partner.
The Minnesota native told Andy Cohen during an April 2023 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that he found out about a hookup between Raquel and Sandoval in late August 2022 but didn’t believe it became something more until January 2023. Schwartz also denied that he acted as a decoy on his pal’s behalf after he and Raquel shared a kiss in Mexico while attending Scheana Shay and Brock Davies‘ wedding.
“So, the one-night stand was in August and then it became, from my point of view, it became an emotional affair. Which is still inappropriate, but I didn’t think it was a linear thing … Tom came to me in January and told me that he was in love with Raquel,” Schwartz revealed, saying of his reaction to the news, “I was flabbergasted but not surprised.”
Schwartz added that Sandoval was feeding him “a narrative” that he had attempted to break up with Ariana “many many times.”
Raquel alleged during the podcast that even after their affair became public, Sandoval used Schwartz as an intermediary, telling her to send letters to him from the Arizona mental health facility she was being treated at to his former BFF’s apartment and not to the home he still shared with Ariana. The men eventually had a falling out and the Tom Sandoval and The Most Extras singer had her send correspondences to his house.
“I don’t think he really gave a f–k, I think he wanted her to see it,” Raquel said of Sandoval wanting Ariana to see he was still in contact with his then-lover. He and Raquel reportedly broke things off in May 2023, even though Ariana had her doubts. During a May 17, 2023, appearance on Watch What Happens Live, she told Andy Cohen, “I don’t buy that at all. She was sending letters to my house like four days ago.”
Raquel broke her silence about Sandoval to Bethenny Frankel during an August 2023 episode of iHeartRadio’s “ReWives” podcast. “I now look back on it and see that I was not in love with him. I also don’t believe that he truly was in love with me either,” she revealed.
The California native ultimately decided not to return for Vanderpump Rules season 11, which premieres on Bravo on January 30.
