Pump the brakes: Tom Sandoval just dropped a self-described "really weird" comparison about "Scandoval."
The "Vanderpump Rules" star, 40, spoke with The New York Times Magazine for a lengthy interview published Tuesday about the infamous scandal, in which he cheated on girlfriend Ariana Madix with her friend Raquel Leviss. The Times asked Sandoval why he felt the affair received as much attention as it did.
"I'm not a pop-culture historian really, but I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it's a little bit the same?" he asked.
As Sandoval made these comments, The Times noted that a 23-year-old member of his new publicity team was "typing furiously on her phone," although the reporter suggested Sandoval was simply "trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center of a nationwide discussion and a major news story."
Despite this, the Times reported that after the interview was conducted, a publicist from Bravo, the network that airs "Vanderpump Rules," reached out with concern about what he had said.
Quickly following the publication of his NYT Magazine interview, Sandoval took to his Instagram stories Tuesday to apologize for comparing his "Vanderpump Rules" scandal to media coverage of O.J. Simpson and George Floyd.
Sandoval called the comparison "inappropriate and ignorant."
"My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received," Sandoval wrote. "I’m incredibly sorry and embarrassed.”
While speaking about the massive backlash sparked by his cheating scandal, Sandoval said he feels he received "more hate than Danny Masterson," the "That '70s Show" actor who was convicted of raping two women in September. He also compared the subsequent fallout, which led him to receive constant calls from blocked numbers, to the movie "Uncut Gems," in which Adam Sandler's character faces intense pressure due to owing a large amount of money.
Sandoval's friend Kyle Chan made a different pop culture comparison, telling the Times that being around him after the cheating scandal was like watching Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) from "Game of Thrones" become a broken man after enduring intense torture.
'Vanderpump Rules'cheating scandal: What Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss and Ariana Madix have said
But Sandoval told the Times that even though filming "Vanderpump Rules" usually "sucks" and that he has "been buzzed through most of it," the fact that "the scandal has made the show so big, it's kind of cool and crazy. Even though it's negative and at my expense.”
"I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life," he also said. "I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like, for real."
"Vanderpump Rules" returned for its 11th season in January, with Leviss no longer part of the cast. At BravoCon in November, Sandoval was met with boos from the audience, which Madix told People was to "be expected."
Madix also said that filming Season 11 was "weird," adding, "It was difficult, and I'm glad it’s behind me. I knew I was going to have some very strong and ultimately negative feelings, but I think if anything, the last year has shown me I can do hard things."
Ariana Madixreacts to ex Tom Sandoval getting booed at BravoCon: 'It's to be expected'
Contributing: Naledi Ushe and Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
