Yep, Tom Sandoval Just Compared Himself To O.J. Simpson And George Floyd
Tom Sandoval may have just made his biggest blunder since the news of Scandoval broke in March 2023. The Vanderpump Rules villain – who, for months, has been pleading with the public to move on from Scandoval – just sat down with The New York Times for a lengthy profile, the majority of which focused on, you guessed it, Scandoval.
While Sandoval has been on a redemption tour littered with ill-advised interviews and appearances, he somehow managed to outdo himself, thoughtlessly drawing parallels between his own story and two of the most racially charged events in America’s recent history. Naturally, there was some feedback…
The piece itself (aptly titled “How Tom Sandoval Became the Most Hated Man in America”), is a solid read; journalist Irina Aleksander explores Sandoval’s humble origins, sharing insights from Vanderpump Rules’ executive producer Alex Baskin and interrogating the changing dynamics of the series as its cast transitioned from waitstaff into public figures. However, what has captured the attention (and backlash) of the internet today came when discussing the gravity of the cheating scandal.
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“I’m not a pop-culture historian really,” Sandoval started (and god I wish he’d finished there). “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?”
A HUGE yikes from me, and seemingly every single other person who read this bizarre comparison.
Irina generously tried to translate Sandoval’s sentiments, stating that he was “trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic centre of a nationwide discussion and a major news story”, however, the public outrage over his comments has been swift. Fans, readers and several Bravo celebs were quick to take to the comment section, notably co-star Katie Maloney, who commented under a graphic of Sandoval’s words: “Hey Tom Schwartz you wanna come explain what he was really trying to say? … the f–k?” For those in the know, Schwartz is Sandoval’s best friend and business partner, but something tells me not even Sandoval’s biggest apologists will be able to defend him on this one.
Speaking of apologies, Sandoval was quick to issue one on his Instagram Stories today after the internet erupted. It read: “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.” I’ll bet he is.
While Sandoval’s attempts at atonement have been messy at best and ignorant at worst, it’s becoming increasingly hard to watch (although I wil,l of course, be doing so). Whenever I feel like we should lay off the guy, he takes one step forward and 10 insensitive and offensive steps backwards. Public pile-ons are pretty gross, we all know that, and Sandoval doesn’t seem to be learning or growing, as much as he claims to be listening to the feedback… I don’t know. Do we fire him from the show? Do we get him on Special Forces again but leave him in NZ this time? I don’t have the answers, but I do know I’ll be here every step of the way, watching in horror and reporting back.
Image credit: Hayu + Punkee