Tom Sandoval‘s friend group was in for a shakeup after his cheating scandal.
Sandoval and his now-ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix had many of the same friends before his affair with their Vanderpump Rules costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss made headlines. After Sandoval and Madix split in March 2023 due to his infidelity, most of their close pals publicly took her side.
“Since the scandal broke, I’ve lost a lot of long-term friends,” Sandoval explained in a February 2024 episode of the Bravo hit series. “So I’ve leaned into the ones that have stuck around.”
Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules followed Sandoval’s attempt to rebuild his inner circle. Shortly after filming started, Sandoval threw himself a birthday party with a lot of new faces. Sandoval told cameras that he invited the people who remained loyal to him in the aftermath of his personal woes.
“I cannot begin to express how truly grateful I am for all the people that have stuck around. These people have put up with so much hate because of things that I did,” he emotionally said during season 11, admitting he felt “really bad” about the backlash his friends faced. “Just being my friend, it really means a lot to me. More than anything.”
His fellow Vanderpump Rules costars, however, had different opinions about Sandoval’s pals. Madix said her ex was surrounding himself with people on his payroll.
Meanwhile, James Kennedy poked fun at Sandoval’s newest friends. (Bravo also joined in on the joke by labeling each person at Sandoval’s birthday party to point out how many were associated with the reality star’s music career.)
“Tom’s party is like a who’s who? Like who the f—k are you people?” Kennedy quipped in a February 2024 episode. “Tom, you used to be the coolest guy on the block. Now look!”
Keep scrolling to get to know Sandoval’s inner circle: