Ariana Madix, Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval and Brock Davies.
Shutterstock (4)While Scheana Shayin Vanderpump Rules rings raised eyebrows after she posed for a photo with Tom Sandovalyour co-star Ariana Madix it’s clearing the air.
“@Scheana is an amazing friend who took a picture with a fan on her birthday. There were so many mean comments about her and she was just doing something nice,” Ariana, 38, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Friday, July 21.
A photo of Scheana, 38, and Tom, 41, surfaced earlier this month after several members of the group Vanderpump Rules cast – including Tom Schwartz, James Kennedy and Scheana’s husband, Brock Davies — posed with a Bravo fan during the cast’s trip to Lake Tahoe. The “Good as Gold” singer was quickly criticized for spending time with Sandoval following his fling with Rachel Leviss. (Scheana proclaimed during the bomb rules season 10 reunion that she had ended her friendship with Raquel, 28, after her secret relationship with Ariana’s then-boyfriend of 9 years.)
“I don’t know why I feel the need to defend taking a picture with my hand like that [in a fist] behind someone’s back,” Scheana later said via her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, July 19. “It’s still weird that people don’t realize we’re filming a show. And it was that girl’s birthday. How will we be, ‘No! Absolutely not.’ Like, no, ‘Happy birthday. Let’s take a picture of the king. It’s called adultery.”
Brock, 33, also chimed in on Friday to shed light on the night’s events, noting via their Instagram Stories that they were “caught in a moment with a fan.”
“It’s hard not to reflect on the duality of public life. Love and support on one side and hurtful comments on the other – mostly about my wife. It hurts, it’s personal,” noted Brock, who married Scheana in August 2022, in his social media statement. “Remember this – Vanderpump Rules it’s about real people, real friendships and real emotions over 15 years. This isn’t just entertainment, it’s a part of our lives that you’ve come to appreciate.”
Brock further hit back at the “unkind” messages that were hurled at Scheana for apparently choosing to date Sandoval over BFF Ariana.
“We are not just here to take pictures. We’re here living our lives, sharing our journey,” added the Australian native. “It’s about time we promoted respect and empathy, not just for the ‘characters’ you see on screen, but for the real people behind them. Let’s make this community as real as the friendships you tune into. Let’s make it better.”
The group’s friendship fell apart in March, following the news that Ariana and Sandoval broke up amidst his affair with Raquel, which began during the weekend of Scheana and Brock’s wedding.
The cast began filming Vanderpump Rules season 11 earlier this month, with Ariana choosing not to film with Sandoval or Raquel. (Raquel allegedly left a mental health treatment center in July, but it hasn’t been confirmed if she’ll return for the new episodes.)
“I have nothing to say to any of them,” Ariana said. The New York Times newspaper in an interview in May, when asked about the possibility of reuniting with her ex-boyfriend and Raquel on camera. “Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends, and none of them are in the friend group, so good luck.”
Brock and Scheana, however, are leaving the door open for a possible reconciliation with the TomTom co-founder.
“Clear [I miss my friendship with Sandoval]. It’s pretty annoying that he did that, unfortunately. I’m not going to just forgive him and I don’t think anyone in the group is going to just forgive and move on,” Brock confessed during Friday’s episode of his wife’s “Scheananigans” podcast. “We want to have those conversations and we hope they happen this summer and see how it goes.”
Sign up for Us Weekly’s free daily newsletter and never miss out on breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
He continued, “Honestly, I miss [Scheana’s friendship with Sandoval] together. That’s why it’s such a strange thing. miss friendship. Do I forgive your actions? Hell for the no. So we have to figure out what the middle ground is on the way back to becoming friends again.