How Tom Sandoval's Relationship With His Brother Brian Fell Apart
It was one of the biggest scandals, or should we say scandovals, in Bravo history: When "Vanderpump Rules" star Tom Sandoval cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with one of her best friends. The reality world blew up into flames. Many were disgusted by Tom's affair, and several of his closest relationships fell apart, including his relationship with his brother, Brian Sandoval.
While Tom has been in the spotlight since he began starring in "Vanderpump Rules," his brother has remained in the shadows. Details about Brian's life are scarce, but when Tom rocked the reality show world with his scandalous affair with fellow co-star Rachel Leviss, his entire life was brought center stage, including his brother Brian and the rest of the Sandoval family. Tom has been open about how his family being pulled into his drama has been one of his biggest regrets. While appearing on the show "Special Forces," Sandoval explained, "One of the big reasons why I'm here is I let down my family and other people whose last name is Sandoval. I tarnished the name, and I want to bring some honor back to that name."
Brian, who likely got close to Madix over her decade-long relationship with his brother, said nothing about the affair after the news broke. Madix even revealed on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that none of the Sandoval family members reached out to her following the bombshell scandal. But despite his quiet lifestyle, Brian might have been #TeamAriana after all.
Brian distanced himself from Tom following the scandoval
Like many people in Tom Sandoval's life, Brian Sandoval wanted to distance himself from his brother following his affair with Raquel Leviss. During an episode of his podcast, "Everyone Loves Tom," the reality star revealed that his brother requested he erase any trace of him on his social media. Tom explained, "My brother, like, told me, he's like, 'Tom, you need to delete photos of us on Instagram,'" he continued, "My actual blood brother said that to me." Guest star Jerry O'Connell couldn't believe that even Tom's brother wanted nothing to do with him after his scandalous affair, but the reality star confirmed that even his own family was avoiding him. It seems like Tom did exactly what Brian requested. The reality star's brother is seemingly missing from any posts in his Instagram feed.
Before the scandal that changed reality television for good, Brian and Tom seemed to have a pretty good relationship. In 2021, the "Vanderpump Rules" star shared a sweet post to his brother on Facebook. He wrote, "Happy National Brother's Day! Love You Brian! ...excuse me, Dr. Brian Sandoval." From being close to each other to asking for space, it's unclear where the brothers stand today, but Brian is trying his best to keep out of the spotlight and all of Tom's mess.
Tom's family was not supportive of the affair
One of the ickiest parts of Tom Sandoval's affair with Raquel Leviss is whether his family, who knew Ariana Madix very well, were aware of the affair. Cutting off all ties with Tom and his family, Madix admitted on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that she wasn't sure how much the Sandoval family knew about his romance with Leviss, but she felt they knew something. She told the podcast, "I think, at one point, they knew, but they were definitely not condoning [the relationship], and [Sandoval] was putting [Leviss] up in a hotel." Well, Leviss later confirmed that she had met Tom's family, specifically his mom, Terri Green, and they all knew of the affair.
Although they knew of Tom's scandalous relationship with Leviss, they weren't supportive of the romance. According to the TMZ, the entire Sandoval family was unhappy about the reality star's sudden relationship with his "Vanderpump Rules" co-star. During a point in their whirlwind romance, Tom brought Raquel to his hometown and introduced her to his family. However, he didn't say that she was his girlfriend. Tom's mom, Terri, was reportedly friendly with Leviss and knew Tom was having an affair. Still, she and the rest of the family didn't feel it was appropriate to bring her to his hometown, considering he was still with Madix. Despite Tom's family's disapproval, the two continued their relationship until they broke up shortly after the reunion aired.