Remaining unbothered? Vanderpump Rules’ Ariana Madix enjoyed the first day of Coachella with Scheana Shay just hours after ex Tom Sandoval was spotted heading toward the music festival.
Madix, 37, and Shay, 32, took to social media on Friday, April 14, to show off their looks for the first night of the event, which takes place at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and features Bad Bunny as the premiere headliner.
Both women stunned in their fabulous festival ‘fits, with the Florida native rocking ’70s-inspired attire that featured a long sleeve tie-dye shirt, cut-off denim shorts and lavender shades. The “Scheanigans” podcast host, for her part, donned an all-white knitted two-piece set, heels and matching sunnies. Earlier in the day, she showed off an alternate ensemble from Steve Madden’s festival collection, sporting a shimmery black mini-dress, oversized sunglasses and platform boots.
Meanwhile, Sandoval — who split from Madix last month amid his affair with Raquel Leviss — made his own way to the desert separate from his castmates. The TomTom cofounder, 40, was seen stopping for snacks before hitting the road toward the Coachella Valley earlier on Friday.
The costars’ fun-filled weekend comes just hours after Us Weekly confirmed that Leviss, 28, had checked herself into a treatment facility for mental health issues amid the drama.
“Raquel and her family decided before the relationship was discovered that she would enter a voluntary facility for mental health counseling,” the statement read. “Raquel had planned to admit herself before the VPR reunion was taped on March 23. She was scheduled to go in pre-reunion but decided she wanted to finish her filming commitment. Bravo and production were aware and in support of her journey towards better mental health.”
The former beauty queen first hinted that she was struggling when she issued a public apology to Madix last month, sharing that she was “speaking to a counselor” about her personal issues.
“I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships,” she wrote via Instagram on March 8. “I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices.”
Both Leviss and Sandoval have faced backlash from their costars — and the public — after first making headlines for their affair in March. Despite the fallout, the pair have been open about their feelings toward each other.
“We just kissed. It was magnetic,” Sandoval recalled of his and Leviss’ first kiss during the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast on Tuesday, April 11. The castmates first connected in August 2022 when the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner had been in a relationship with Madix for nine years.
“I felt something that I hadn’t felt in so long emotionally,” Sandoval said of the physical encounter with Leviss. “The feelings were something very, very strong. Those feelings that I had started to take over in a sense. Logic went out the window. Because I wasn’t experiencing that [with Ariana] — I hadn’t experienced that [before].”
Sandoval claimed at the time that he attempted to end things with Madix prior to this affair with Leviss. He added that the two became more like “roommates,” but alleged that the Paradise City star wouldn’t “let” him leave.
“She freaking punched me and all this s–t, but after she calmed down, we started talking,” he claimed. “A couple days later, I sit down and talk with her again, and she’s like, ‘I’m not letting you leave me. You’re going to have to force me out of this relationship.’ And I was like, ‘Ariana, I don’t think I could be faithful in a relationship with you right now.’ I was saying all of these things. I hadn’t told her about Raquel yet. She was like, ‘If you break up with me, you will effectively be ending my life.’ … I didn’t know what to do. She was completely in denial and not accepting it.”
Sandoval added he’s had “dark thoughts” amid the drama, alleging that the hate toward him and Leviss was escalated by his Pump Rules family.
“Using this to make it seem like everything I have done for them — they make it out like I am a narcissist,” he explained. “You are taking what I did with this affair, and you are erasing the last 15 years of our friendship.”
