Ever since the very unexpected news broke that Vanderpump Rules starsTom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss were having an affair, fans of the Bravo series have been on the lookout for clues that might answer their many questions. One of the biggest mysteries of them all: When did the affair begin? After their cheating was revealed, reports and rumors circulated that the affair started six or seven months ago, which would mean it began while the currently airing tenth season was already filming.
Now, some people who are close to the cast have claimed that the affair kicked off during an event that was a part of the March 15 episode of Vanderpump Rules. Read on to find out what they had to say and for more on the potential timeline of Sandoval and Leviss' relationship.
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Initial reports stated that the affair has been going on for several months.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for CLD PR / White FoxIn early March, the news broke that Sandoval and Leviss were engaged in an affair, which reportedly came as a shock to their castmates as well as fans. To the point that she learned about his cheating, Sandoval had been in a nine-year relationship with co-star Ariana Madix. Leviss was thought to have recently had a fling with co-star—and best friend of Sandoval—Tom Schwartz. That part was being covered on the current season.
Sources claimed that Sandoval and Leviss had begun seeing each other secretly six or seven months ago, which would mean that it started in August or September 2022.
"This has been going on for upwards of six months—all the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed," a source toldPeople. Similarly, a source told Page Six that Sandoval and Leviss had been having a "full-on affair" and "communicating inappropriately for months."
Friends of the cast claim they know when the affair began.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for DailyMail.comOn the podcast Jamie All Over, host Jamie Lynne and guest Kael Ramsey-Ackerson, who are friends of Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay, addressed the scandal. Shay is a longtime friend of Madix. Ramsey-Ackerson said that he had also become close with Leviss.
As reported by Screen Rant, Lynne and Ramsey-Ackerson revealed that they believe the affair began during the "boys' night" that occurred while some of the women were on vacation in Las Vegas followed by Lake Havasu, Arizona. This happened on the most recent episode of the show, in which the guys—and honorary guest Shay—went out together to help Schwartz process his recent split from ex-wife and co-star Katie Maloney.
Leviss and co-star Charli Burnett returned from the girls' trip early amid conflict with the other women. The March 15 episode ends with them showing up to boys' night and surprising everyone.
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Their affair may have begun that night.
DFree / ShutterstockRamsey-Ackerson said that Leviss shared something with him that puts the events of the episode in some previously missing context.
"She basically just told me it started seven months ago," he claimed on the podcast. "And I was like, 'When?' and she was like, 'After the Vegas trip.' And I said, 'Bro, you literally called me an hour or two after the girls had made you cry, frantic. And then you hit me back and were like, meet me in LA, we're going to to the boys' [night].'" He added, "And she was like, 'That’s when we [herself and Sandoval] got closer.'"
Furthermore, Lynne claimed that she went out with Leviss, Sandoval, and another friend after the boys' night and noticed that Leviss and Sandoval were having deep conversations.
Boys' night was in August of last year.
BravoWe know that the boys' night took place in August, because it was filmed around the time that Madix's dog Charlotte died. Madix left her Vegas vacation even earlier than Leviss and Burnett to return home to Los Angeles when she heard that her senior dog had taken a turn for the worst. She posted on Instagram that Charlotte was put down in early August.
There's also a rumor that they hooked up even earlier.
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesIn addition to the claims from Ramsey-Ackerson and Lynne, there are others that set up a different timeline.
In April 2022, it was rumored that Leviss kissed Schwartz at Coachella, as reported by Us Weekly. But, Schwartz was not at the musical festival, as he clarified on Twitter and on the new season of the show. Sandoval, on the other hand, was there—Leviss posted an Instagram of them together—so now some fans believe that Sandoval was the Tom she kissed, not Schwartz. If this was the case, the affair would have begun nearly a year ago, rather than seven months ago.
Leviss and Sandoval have spoken out.
Joe Seer / ShutterstockNeither Sandoval nor Leviss have clarified when they started their relationship, but they did both confirm that it happened and apologized in statements posted to Instagram.
“The choices I made hurt so many people. I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be,” Sandoval’s statement reads in part.
Leviss wrote as part of her lengthy statement, “There is no excuse, I am not a victim and must own my actions. I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”
Fans will get to see how the situation plays out on Vanderpump Rules, which resumed filming for the current season after this bombshell dropped. The cast is also set to talk about it on the reunion show, which will film soon.
