Tom Sandoval traveled from Los Angeles to St. Louis to give back to his hometown while bars and restaurants continue to struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While chatting with KMOV4 reporter Alyssa Toomey, Tom finally broke his silence and responded to the firings of his Vanderpump Rules co-stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute. “It’s crazy, it definitely changes things and honestly we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens,” Tom shared.
Tom has been prominently featured on VPR since the first season premiered in 2013. Although he took a bit of a break between seasons four through six — he only appeared in one episode in season four and six, and didn’t appear at all in season five — he’s been back to being a regular cast member since season seven. His longtime place on the show meant that he knew Stassi and Kristen fairly well, making the situation more difficult.
Both Kristen and Stassi tried to make amends with Faith and apologize for their wrongdoing leading up the network’s final decision for the show to move on without them. The women took to social media on June 7, with Stassi, who’s expecting a baby girl, citing that she needs to take “accountability for what I have said and done.” For her part, Kristen wrote in her own Instagram statement, “my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement’s treatment of the Black community, and how dangerous my actions could have been to her.”
“The world needs to move forward with a kinder generation. Everybody deserves to feel safe, heard and appreciated in their communities. So much of what has transpired in the world is not right, fair or acceptable. We all have work to do to create a society we can be proud of and I hope as we venture forward, we strive to live in a world where kindness and compassion are our highest values.”