Ariana Madix had the support of the Vanderpump Rules cast at the Season 10 reunion but by Season 11, the devotion was waning. Lala Kent and Scheana Shay have shown compassion for Tom Sandoval in the current season and even agreed to go on a trip with him to Lake Tahoe.
If the VPR cast wants to forgive Sandoval, that’s their right. However, it’s unfair of them to expect Ariana to do the same. They want the green light from her to forgive him, but why should she do that? He cheated on her with her friend for 7 months. That’s pretty hard to come back from.
I think the cast is expecting too much from Ariana right now. Here are the reasons they need to cut her some slack.
It’s only been a few months
It’s been over a year since #Scandoval broke the internet but when Season 11 began shooting, it had only been a few months. Filming for Season 11 began in June of 2023, only three months after the volatile three-part reunion was filmed. We expected the cast to be out for blood given the quick turnaround but many of them seemed to be over it by the time cameras were rolling again. How Lala went from calling Sandoval a “dangerous person” to grabbing lunch with him in the span of a few months we’ll never understand.
Forgiveness is great. I don’t fault the cast for having complicated feelings about a man they have known and loved for years. That makes total sense. However, the expectation that Ariana should move on as fast as they have is totally unfair. Who cares if she’s scored some lucrative brand deals? That doesn’t mean she has to be chill with Sandoval now.
She’s allowed to set boundaries
Scheana, Lala, and Tom Schwartz have been critical of the boundaries Ariana has set with regard to Sandoval. I don’t understand why. She has never forbidden anyone from being friends with him. She has simply stated that if they choose to be friends with him, she might not be as close to them. Ariana shouldn’t be pressured to be around her ex all the time. She’s allowed to create distance from him to protect her mental health. Is that really so unreasonable?
They profited off her heartbreak
When the news of Scandoval broke, it didn’t take long before the cast started monetizing the drama. Lala created merch, Scheana talked about it on her podcast, and James Kennedy alluded to the scandal in his DJ sets. Ariana wasn’t the only one who made money off Scandoval. It’s natural for the cast to comment on drama connected to their show, but since they did, they shouldn’t come at Ariana for doing the same. Sure, the scandal opened a lot of doors for her but that doesn’t make her feelings about the situation invalid. A brand deal isn’t going to mend a broken heart. Duh! Only time can do that and it hasn’t been that long.
I don’t fault the group for making money during the scandal. After all, some of them have children to support. But since so many of them profited off Ariana’s heartbreak, you’d think they would have more loyalty to her.
It didn’t happen to them
I understand where Lala is coming from when she says she doesn’t want her friend to hold onto so much anger. Staying angry may indeed be hurting Ariana more than helping her. However, everyone grieves in their own way and she is entitled to whatever process she feels is beneficial to her. Lala can relate to Ariana in many ways. She was also lied to and cheated on by a man she trusted. But Lala will never know the ins and outs of Ariana and Sandoval’s relationship. Therefore, she can’t fully put herself in Ariana’s shoes. Also, Lala isn’t friends with her ex, so why should Ariana forgive Sandoval? Not many people would want to spend a beach day with their cheating ex. All things considered, we think Ariana is handling the situation pretty maturely.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THE CAST IS BEING TOO HARD ON ARIANA?
