Okay, so more Vanderpump Rules drama is hitting the proverbial fan, and Katie Maloney is not having it. She had a lot to say about Tom Sandoval’s recent interview with The New York Times Magazine, comparing Scandoval and the backlash he received to the murder of George Floyd.
Wait. What? Yep. That actually happened.
Tom, the man with a knack for stirring the pot, decided to draw some wild comparisons. He tossed in the cheating scandal with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and managed to somehow connect it to the national conversations about O.J. Simpson’s trial and George Floyd’s tragic murder. We’re scratching our heads, too.
Katie calling in the reinforcements
Cue Katie, the ex-wife of Tom Schwartz, who wasted no time and hit up the comments section of an Instagram post by @Bravobybetches’ calling out Tom’s, let’s say, unique perspective. “Hey Tom Schwartz, you wanna come explain what he was really trying to say?” Katie threw some shade while pointing out Schwartz’s tendency to be the defender of Sandoval’s questionable remarks.
But she’s not the only reality TV celeb to respond to Tom’s tone-deaf comments. Real Housewives of Miami‘s Guerdy Abraira joined the party, calling out the remark’s tone-deafness, especially during Black History Month. Ouch!
And then, Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard star Jordan Emanuel chimed in, leaving us all shaking our heads in disbelief. “Comparing slinging d–k to a Black man being murdered in front of our eyes during Black History Month is something I just don’t have words for.”
Dealing with the aftermath
Ridiculous interview aside, Tom might just be cracking a bit under the pressure as he tries to rehabilitate this reputation. He shared a heart-wrenchingly honest moment on a recent Vanderpump Rules episode. He opened up to Lisa Vanderpump, revealing the dark toll the public backlash has taken on him.
Diving deep into his struggles, Sandoval admitted, “If I f*cking say I am sorry and I cry, then it is [called] crocodile tears. I battled with suicide [thoughts].” Talk about a raw, unfiltered moment. He continued, “I was hanging on by a thread. The walls start closing, and you can’t see past the hurt and the pain. You can’t dream about better days. I was getting to the point where I was like, ‘What is the f*cking point?'”
It’s going to be an uphill battle to win back public support and comparing your circumstances to disproportionately horrible and tragic events isn’t how to do it.
Vanderpump Rules Season 11 continues Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK TOM HAD ANY IDEA THE BACKLASH WOULD BE SO AWFUL, OR WAS IT JUST A TERRIBLE MISTAKE? DO YOU THINK IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON?
