Andy Cohen has weighed in on the cheating scandal that has rocked the American reality TV show, Vanderpump Rules.
In recent months, it came to light that cast member Ariana Madix’s co-star and boyfriend of nine years, Tom Sandoval, had been cheating on her with her best friend Raquel Leviss.
The explosive season 10 finale episode that aired on Bravo on Wednesday (17 May), saw the drama heighten as Madix confronted Sandoval about his infidelity and told him she “regretted ever falling” in love with him and that he was “worth nothing”.
When asked by TMZ about why the drama has resonated with so many impassioned fans, the American TV presenter Cohen, who has interviewed the stars of the show on several occasions, said that infidelity is a topic that lots of people have proximity to.
He explained: “People feel like they know them and I think infidelity is something lots of people are interested in and have a relationship with.”
“The fact that it happened with Ariana’s best friend makes it all very dramatic and shocking.”
He added of the incident: “There’s something in the water in West Hollywood, this isn’t the first cheating scandal, it won’t be the last but it’s certainly the biggest and it resonates with the most people.”
“I think we all want Ariana to get her happy ending… as long as she’s having fun, then I’m happy for her.”
It comes as Sandoval and Leviss reportedly end their romance, shortly after their affair was revealed to the world.
The Vanderpump Rules co-stars called it quits just two months after news broke of their months-long affair. A source told ET on Wednesday (17 May) “Tom and Raquel broke up”, while Page Six reported: “Raquel dipped out. Sandoval is not the one for her.”
Sandoval, 40, was in a relationship with fellow cast member Ariana Madix, 37, for nine years before it came to light that he had cheated on her. In March, TMZ was the first to report that Madix and Sandoval had split after she learned of his infidelity.
Madix and Leviss were formerly best friends but have since severed ties as a result of the situation.
Following the scandal, Sandoval has issued several statements to social media, in one of which he asked fans to stop boycotting his restaurant and bar Schwartz & Sandy’s Lounge.
Days later, he shared a second social media statement about the scandal, this time apologising to Madix.
“I want to first and foremost apologise to everyone I’ve hurt through this process,” he wrote on Instagram. “Most of all, I want to apologise to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
Meanwhile, Leviss apologised to Madix “for my actions and choices” in a separate Instagram post.
