How Tom Sandoval Feels About The Vanderpump Rules Firings

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval has been on the Bravo series since its premiere in 2013, getting his start bartending at Lisa Vanderpump's Los Angeles restaurant, SUR. The Missouri native later went into business with Lisa and his co-star, Tom Schwartz, to create the bar and restaurant known as TomTom. Sandoval and his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, also co-wrote a cocktails recipe book with Everything Iconic host, Danny Pellegrino.

Given Sandoval's long history on the show and his many accomplishments, fans are understandably curious to know what he thinks about Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute getting fired from Vanderpump Rules on June 9, 2020. For those who don't already know, the two were axed for their behavior toward Faith Stowers, a Black woman and military veteran who made numerous appearances on the show. The pair reportedly called the cops on Stowers in 2018, sharing their suspicion that she was involved in a Los Angeles crime spree, according to Page Six. There was no basis for the call, and the former reality star was not involved. 

Additionally, newbies Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were let go when their racist tweets resurfaced. 

Sandoval, who dated Kristen in earlier seasons of VR and has had blowout fights with Stassi, finally broke his silence about the drama on June 24, 2020. Here's what the bar owner had to say.

As a bar owner himself, Tom Sandoval is well aware of the coronavirus' impact on the restaurant industry. So to lend fellow restauranteurs a helping hand, he traveled to his hometown of St. Louis, Mo., in June 2020, bartending at some local spots to raise public awareness. He also bought a refrigerator for an establishment called Hollylou, KMOV4 reported.

Although Sandoval's focus was on helping the bars and his hometown, he did spare a minute to discuss the wave of Vanderpump Rules firings. "It's crazy, it definitely changes things and honestly we're just going to have to wait and see what happens," he told KMOV4 on June 24, 2020, about the exits.

Sandoval's brief statement came one day after Stassi Schroeder's reveal that she's expecting a baby girl with her fiancé, Beau Clark. As of this writing, Kristen Doute hasn't posted on Instagram since June 7, 2020.

Now that we've covered how Sandoval feels about the firings, let's find out what a few other key Vanderpump Rules people think.

Although Tom Sandoval was the first cast member to speak out about Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute's Vanderpump Rules firing, Bravo figurehead Andy Cohen and Pump Rules executive producer Lisa Vanderpump also issued statements about the casting changes.

Andy said on an episode of Radio Andy that he stood by the network, even if he had nothing to do with it, since he's not a producer on the show. Andy, who hosts the Vanderpump reunions, is only a producer on the Real Housewives shows and Watch What Happens Live, so this wasn't his call. Still, he thought it was a good change. He said, "I absolutely support Bravo's decision. I think it was the right decision."

It was Lisa's call, though. She issued a statement on Instagram writing that she hoped the firings show that actions do have consequences and that while the decision was a heavy one, it was not complicated. She added, "I love and adore our employees and I am deeply saddened by some of the lack of judgment that has been displayed." LVP also vowed to show more of her staff going further, likely in response to complaints that the show only has white cast members (and the one Black woman, Faith Stowers, was the victim of racist harassment until she left).

It makes sense that Tom Sandoval was one of the first people involved with Vanderpump Rules to speak out about Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute getting fired for their past racist behavior. Sandoval, and his girlfriend Ariana Madix, are always quick to stand up for their values. It was Sandoval and Ariana, after all, who really took Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright to task when it was revealed that the pastor for the wedding had reportedly said homophobic things in the past, per Refinery29.

It caused a lot of drama between Sandoval and Jax on Season 8 of Vanderpump Rules, but it was the right thing to do. Per Reality Blurb, Sandoval said it was worth it, even though Jax was angry with him for making it into a big deal. "If I would have known it was going to get that reaction, I don't know if I would have brought it up but these are the things that you do as a friend. These are things that I would expect from my friends, and vice versa," he said.

Following the firings, it's going to be a new era for Vanderpump Rules if the show continues with another season — and that's likely a good thing for everyone.