The villain of Vanderpump Rules, Tom Sandoval, apparently thinks his cheating scandal – known as “Scandoval” – was as notable as George Floyd’s murder or O.J. Simpson’s trial.
According to a profile in the New York Times, 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?”
Despite the fact that it’s definitely not the same… He went on to also compare himself to disgraced That 70’s Show star Danny Masterson, who is now serving time in prison for rape.
“I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he’s a convicted rapist,” Sandoval expressed.
READ MORE: Tom Sandoval Has ‘Evolved Since Cheating Scandal’
The profile’s writer noted, “I think I knew what he meant. He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center 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.”
“Scandoval” blew up in 2023 after Sandoval’s cheating scandal was exposed on reality TV in Vanderpump Rules‘ 10th season.
The scandal revealed that Sandoval cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with co-star Raquel Leviss. The controversy became a trending topic on the internet for weeks and even catapulted Madix to further stardom as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars and a guest host on Love Island.
In his NY Times profile, Sandoval explained, “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.”
His publicity assistant summed up the entire interview best by noting, “Sometimes he says too much.”
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Gallery Credit: Michele Bird