Lisa Vanderpump has a ‘softer spot’ for Tom Sandoval than Ariana Madix despite his affair

Lisa Vanderpump reportedly has a bigger ‘soft spot’ for Tom Sandoval than Ariana Madix after his affair with her ‘Vanderpump Rules’ co-star Raquel Lewis last year.

During Tuesday’s episode of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Scheana Shay said she believes Vanderpump prefers Sandoval over Maddix.

He teased that viewers will see more of the favoritism as the current season of the Bravo series continues to air.

The months-long affair between Sandoval and Maddix’s close friend Lewis — who goes by the name Scandoval — shocked fans and “VPR” co-stars alike.

After angry fans criticized Sandoval and Lewis on social media when the news broke in March 2023, Vanderpump immediately stood by Sandoval.

“I am not saying that we should free them from bondage. Condemn their actions, but don’t condemn the people,” he said on “WWHL” a week after the scandal broke.

“All this aggression… it could have serious consequences. That’s really what I mean. I believe everyone should be careful about this. I don’t like it and I don’t want to see it,” she said.

Fans later criticized Vanderpump, 63, for consoling Sandoval, 41, during the season 10 finale, which aired in May.

“You are not a bad person. You just did a bad thing,” Vanderpump memorably told the restaurant owner during the episode.

Maddix later told Cohen on the “WWHL” episode that she thought Vanderpump was “a little too nice” to her ex-husband.

“I did not take Tom’s side,” Vanderpump told E! News at the time, “You know, I can’t ignore her as a person because she had an affair. The way he handled it, yes, absolutely.”

She said she often felt like a “mother” to some of the cast.

Although Vanderpump claimed it was hard for her to choose sides, she doubled down on her support for Sandoval during the season 10 reunion last May.

Vanderpump justified her sympathy for Sandoval because Sandoval was in a mental state at the time.

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“The man who was sitting in my living room looked like he was a broken man. So, honestly, I didn’t want to pile on,” she previously told Us Weekly.

“Have I communicated and held him accountable? Yeah, I mean, I felt exactly the same way as everyone else. But at some point, they are like my children in some ways.

However, Vanderpump later showed support for Maddix by attending the season 32 finale of “Dancing with the Stars”.

Following the scandal, Lewis, whose real name is Rachel, left the show and checked into a mental health facility in Arizona while Maddix and Sandoval filmed season 11.

The exes are fighting over their $2 million home, which they both still live in, while Lewis has been busy giving her side of the story on her podcast, “Rachel Goes Wrong.”