Vanderpump Rules co-stars Tom Sandoval, 39, and Raquel Leviss, 28, rocked the Bravo world when news of their affair was revealed at the beginning of March. While it was reported that the pair had probably been together since last summer, Peter Madrigal believes their affair may have been going on longer than fans think. The 38-year-old SUR manager revealed on Kristen Doute‘s Sex, Love, and What Else Matters podcast that he once received an odd text from Tom (who was in a nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix, 37, as the affair was occurring) this past January that he believes indicates they were seeing each other longer — and even during his own brief romance with Raquel.
“I get an interesting text from one Tom Sandoval. He hasn’t texted me in six months,” Peter recalled on the April 5 episode of Kristen’s podcast. “And then he texts me and he says, and I quote, ‘Dude, exclamation point. Just watched the [Vanderpump Rules premiere] LOL, exclamation point. Did you bang Raquel the night after SUR, exclamation point, question mark, crying laughing face.’” Tom was reacting to the Season 10 premiere of Vanderpump Rules, which debuted on February 8. The episode included Peter asking Raquel out on a second date. Although she said she wanted to keep things casual, they ended up locking lips off-camera. Nothing ever came of their fling.
“If you go through my text messages with Tom Sandoval, he never texts me emojis. Never does. At the time, I am so disconnected, I didn’t even think about it,” Peter recalled further. “What I’m thinking is, ‘How are they portraying me on the show?’ So, I call him. He was all like, ‘Oh, no, I was just was wondering if you banged Raquel that night.’” Peter now believes Tom was worried about him getting in the way of his relationship with Raquel.
He also explained that while he was confused as to why Raquel seemed so disinterested in him, he now gets it. “I don’t know why she responded, like, ‘Ugh.’ And now I know why. She was already dating Tom Sandoval. She was already having sex with Tom. And that text message from him proves it,” he theorized. Filming for Vanderump Rules was underway by July 13, 2022 per E! News, so the footage could not have been filmed much before then. However, if the Peter-Raquel situation was filmed earlier in the summer, and Peter is correct about his theory, his interaction with Tom may point to Raquel and Tom being together even before summer. Of course, none of this has been confirmed, and it’s all Peter’s speculation.
Peter previously claimed he ignored hints that something was going on between Tom and Raquel during the March 12 episode of the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast. He claimed he saw some interactions that made him raise his eyebrow, but blew off his concerns. “Sandoval is loyal to Ariana. He would never do something like that,” he recalled thinking to himself. He also slammed Raquel’s character while discussing the affair. “I thought she was a good person, but then again, I hardly knew her,” he noted.
Of course, Peter is far from the first Vanderpump Rules cast member or alum to let an opinion be heard about the ordeal. Former VPR star Jax Taylor described Tom as “evil” in a series of since-deleted tweets from last month. “Ariana is a way better person than I am. If this were me, I would murder them both and turn myself in with a smile,” he wrote alongside a screenshot of a Page Six tweet that read, “Raquel Leviss has sleepover at Tom Sandoval’s home while Ariana Madix is away”.
Plus, Scheana Shay, 37, posted a photo of herself with Ariana on Instagram and told her she would always be there to support her once the cheating news became public. Furthermore, Lala Kent, 32, claimed she “blacked out” after being so “enraged” by the entire situation during the VPR Season 10 reunion. Katie Maloney, 35, also had some choice words to say about Tom during a night out at the club.