Tom Sandoval has an eyebrow-raising comparison for Scandoval.
Nearly a year after the Vanderpump Rules star imploded the Bravo universe thanks to his affair with costar Rachel "Raquel" Leviss, he is now comparing the media scrutiny to the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial and the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
"I'm not a pop-culture historian really," he told New York Times Magazine in an interview published Feb. 20, "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?"
As he subsequently noted, "I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson." (The That ‘70s Show alum is currently serving 30 years to life in prison for rape.)
Sandoval didn't appear to backtrack any of his words—a publicist present during the interview added, "Sometimes he says too much and the following day he forgets what he says"—and he also appears to have no regrets about cheating on his girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix.
"I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life," he added. "I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like, for real."
And as for how he left things with Leviss? Sandoval has some regrets there.
"She never even gave me any closure," he added, noting the Rachel Goes Rogue podcast host hasn't returned his calls since June. "It was really hard. It still messes with me."
In response to the backlash, Sandoval told E! News in a statement, "My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received. The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I'm incredibly sorry and embarrassed."
Following his latest remarks on Scandoval, costar Katie Maloney—who was previously married to his BFF Tom Schwartz—was quick to call him out on social media.
"The f--k?" she commented on a Feb. 20 Instagram. "Hey Tom Schwartz, you wanna come explain what he was really trying to say?"
As for how the rest of the cast feels about Scandoval nearly one year later? Well, the aftermath is currently playing out on Vanderpump Rules season 11, airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For a full breakdown on all the drama the cast as SUR-ved up this past year, keep reading.
This story was updated on Feb. 20, 2024 at 4:22 p.m. PT with Tom Sandoval's statement in response to the backlash.