Stassi defends Sandoval from fan ‘vitriol’ despite ‘disgusting’ case

A change of heart? Stassi Schröder weighs on the continued backlash directed at the old Vanderpump Rules costar Tom Sandoval following his affair with Rachel Leviss.

The Bravo alum, 34, opened up about Scandoval’s lasting impact on the Wednesday, June 14 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, explaining that she’s not a fan of how Sandoval, 40 years old, was treated online due to his own experience in the public eye.

“I’ve been in a position where I’ve received so much hate before,” she said. “I don’t like where we are at, like, in society where, like, that’s how we punish people. … It’s like emotionally decapitating people.

Schroeder expressed his disgust at the extreme level of negativity spewed out via social media. “Who should decide what the punishment should be? Like, who makes someone the authority on this? she wondered. “What makes this person on his computer the authority on what he thinks is enough hate for him? I dont feel guilty. … I do not like it.

The New Orleans native – who was an original member of the Pump Rules cast before being fired from the show in 2020 – clarified that her feelings towards Sandoval and his “disgusting behavior” haven’t changed, but she still doesn’t believe “online vitriol” is warranted.

Sandoval has been the target of scorn from fans since news broke in March that he had parted ways with Ariana Madix after learning of her affair with Leviss, 28. The former couple had been together for nearly a decade before calling it quits.

As details continued to emerge about the scandal, Bravo cameras captured new footage for an emotional Season 10 finale. Madix confronted her now with her ex in their shared home.

“I regret every moment that I stood up for you, stood up for you, stood up for you,” she said on the May 17 episode. “You are worthless and I want you to feel it deep in your soul. I want you to hear those words from the mouth of the woman who was by your side, who loved you and was ready to build the rest of my life around you.

Fans and cast members quickly rallied to Madix after the Sandoval affair. During Part 3 of the bombshell reunion special – which was taped just two weeks after the duo’s split made headlines – the Something About Her co-founder explained what public support meant for her.

“My friends and family, you guys and strangers — people I’ve never met — that’s honestly what kept me going,” she tearfully said in the episode. of June 7. “I had a week and a half where I didn’t eat. I lost like eight pounds. I could not do anything. I had someone who stayed with me every night because I felt I needed to be looked after, honestly.

After watching Season 10’s dramatic conclusion, Schroeder confessed that she felt like her “talents were wasted” by no longer being part of the cast. “That’s when I really could have really given it to [Sandoval] and I said, “I always knew! ‘” she teased on the podcast.

THE away with my head the author often disagreed with Sandoval throughout his time on Pump Rules. “I felt like he was always so loved, and I would even say to my producers, I’m like, ‘When is he going to get the edit that I feel like the rest of see us? “, She said. “Why does he keep, like, getting away with just being this dude who just wants to, like, give people things and ‘help people, man.’ That’s not what I see.

Schroeder explained that she had always had suspicions about the co-owner of TomTom. “I see someone who is constantly blaming other people for things and bringing things up from the past and, like, constantly deviating,” she continued. “If the rest of us look bad, then they look good. And I’ve always felt that. »

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As for the Scandoval sequels, the Next Level Basic The author pointed out how “grim” it is that the show’s ratings have steadily improved as Madix and Sandoval’s relationship has crumbled. “The success of the show is, like, directly related to how the actors get hurt, and that feels weird,” she said. “It’s dark. … It’s p-king dark.