Tom Sandoval says his friendship with Tom Schwartz is 'stronger than ever' after cheating scandal

More than one Tom is recovering from the infamous Scandoval.

During a BravoCon 2023 panel featuring Tom Sandoval, the Vanderpump Rules star offered an update on his friendship with costar Tom Schwartz, which took a hit amid the fallout of his season 10 cheating scandal.

"We're doing really well," Sandoval told Lisa Vandepump at the Friday panel. "Considering, I mean, I definitely put him through a lot."

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Sandoval had cheated on his then-girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix, with their friend Rachel "Raquel" Leviss. The backlash was swift; Sandoval has since lamented the lasting damage to his reputation, which included hate from fans of the show and many of his Vanderpump Rules costars cutting ties with him in favor of Madix — with whom he no longers lives with, according to Extra TV. Some of this negativity extended to Schwartz, his longtime friend and business partner.

"You know, [he] got a lot of residual hate just from me," Sandoval said.

Sandoval expanded on their relationship during an earlier panel, adding, "I feel like it's definitely gotten better. Obviously, we went through tough times because of me, and he dealt with a lot of residual negativity, and I really appreciate [him] sticking by."

He later added, "I feel like we're stronger than ever. We've always had a resilient friendship and a loving, caring friendship and yeah, we're in a good place."

The duo, who co-own bars Scwhartz & Sandy's and TomTom, fended off a flood of negative comments on Instagram and Facebook in the wake of the Sandoval's affair with Leviss. Sandoval eventually released a statement asking fans to extend grace to his business partners and employees.

"Schwartz & Sandy's might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families," he wrote on Instagram. "Just like TomTom, I'm a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong."

Schwartz, who previously stated he was "taking a break" from their friendship, has since dismissed rumors that they had a permanent falling out. PEOPLE reports that despite the crowd booing Sandoval during the Vanderpump Rules BravoCon panel, Schwartz asserted their friendship, saying, "For better or for worse, 'til death do us part."

Vanderpump Rules season 11 is set to premiere in January.

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