Reality TV

Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix seemed to be very much a couple just days before TMZ broke the story of their split ... and we've now learned more details about what specifically led to the couple's sudden end.

Sources close to the former pair tell us it was a series of text messages Ariana discovered Wednesday night between Tom and Raquel Leviss that caused her to believe he was cheating. We're told the messages and video were "sexual in nature" ... leading to a confrontation between Ariana and Tom.

Our sources tell us from there, Ariana told friends she found out Tom and Raquel had actually been seeing each other secretly for months -- as far back as the summer.

We're told there was growing suspicion between the former couple's friends that something may have been going on between Sandoval and Raquel ... but it was totally a surprise to Ariana.

As we told you, Ariana was spotted supporting Tom Wednesday night while he performed with his band and debuted a new single. In fact, eyewitnesses at the show say they were kissing and having a good time together -- very much still a couple.

Apparently, Tom has a different version ... a source close to Tom told us things had been unraveling between him and Ariana for quite some time ... but gotta say, that wasn't evidenced Wednesday before she'd discovered the text messages.

Tom and Ariana got together back in 2013 when she joined "Vanderpump Rules" as a full-time cast member ... while they never got married, they were certainly one of the anchor couples on the reality show for years.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Tom Sandoval tried his best to stay mum at his first gig since he was seen packing his bags after his breakup with longtime GF Ariana Madix.

The Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras frontman took the stage with his band on Friday night at the City National Grove in Anaheim, CA ... and made a few comments to the crowd during his performance about the split.

Sandoval takes a sip of his drink after finishing up his new hit single, and you can hear some cheers ... but also others chanting, "Cheater, Cheater" or "Ariana!" from the audience.

In a TikTok video, you hear him respond, "We love her," while at another moment he addressed how most are choosing Ariana's side saying, -- "Have you ever been one of the most hated people in America?" according to Us Weekly.

The show comes just hours after TMZ broke the story of Tom and Ariana calling it quits after she discovered texts on his phone Wednesday night between Tom and costar Raquel Leviss. The messages and video were described as "sexual in nature" leading Ariana to confront him about his alleged cheating.

Tom Sandoval is on the move after splitting with his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix ... packing his bags and leaving the estranged couple's home.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star was spotted loading multiple suitcases into a vehicle Friday, as news of his breakup, first reported by TMZ, hit the web. Tom certainly wasn't smiling as he left the place he and Ariana have called home for years.

Tom, joined by a friend, also made a pitstop at a gas station after leaving the home ... grabbing a couple drinks and a snack before hitting the road again.

It's unclear if he's leaving the home for good, or where he's headed, but we should mention his band has a show Friday night in Anaheim, so it's possible he was leaving for that.

TMZ broke the story, Tom and Ariana came face-to-face Friday morning to shoot an emotional scene for "Vanderpump Rules" to discuss the cheating and their split.

As we told you, Ariana and Tom split after she discovered he'd been cheating with their costar Raquel Leviss.

"Vanderpump Rules" producers are wasting no time in documenting the split and fallout between Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix after he cheated on her with a costar ... already getting the two in front of show cameras.

Our 'VPR' sources say both Tom and Ariana got together at their home Friday morning to talk about the end of their relationship. We're told cameras were rolling through the whole thing, and it was, at times, an emotionally charged situation.

The goal, our sources say, is to work the content into season 10 of 'Vanderpump' -- it's already airing episodes weekly -- but producers think they can get segments edited and pushed out before the end of the season.

TMZ broke the story, Ariana called it quits with Tom after discovering he'd been cheating with their costar, Raquel Leviss.

Interestingly enough, Ariana was out supporting Tom as recently as Wednesday night when he and his band performed and released a new single.

"Vanderpump Rules" stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix are no more, a revelation that is sure to rock the show's cast, as he allegedly cheated with costar Raquel Leviss.

Show sources tell us Ariana found out about the alleged cheating in the last couple days and ended things with Tom shortly thereafter. We're told producers got word of what went down, and made the decision to fire up the cameras with the entire cast to document the fallout in the coming days ... and the hope is they'll be able to get it in the season currently airing.

What's interesting, Ariana was with Tom as recently as Wednesday to celebrate the release of his new single and perform with his band. However, sources close to Tom tell us the two have been on the outs for some time now.

In the promo for season 10 of 'VPR' it was suggested Tom and Ariana were in an open relationship, but Ariana later shut that down, tweeting, "We dont have an open relationship. i'm really not that cool. thought that was obvious. bisexual ≠ polyamorous."

However, it's been a storyline this season that Raquel has wanted to hook up with the show's other Tom, Tom Schwartz ... the two made out at Scheana Shay's wedding.

Tom and Ariana first got together back in 2013 when she joined the show as a full-time cast member.

Neither Tom or Ariana has addressed the split or what led up to it publicly ... though Ariana deleted her Instagram account.

Kim Kardashian is teaming up with James Corden for some classic 'Carpool Karaoke' as the talk show host approaches the finish line of his 'Late Late Show' run.

Kim was laughing up a storm with James in Malibu Thursday -- swinging by a gas station to fuel up before another one of his popular singing-in-the-car segments.

While pumping gas, the duo went inside the station's shop ... trying on some cheap shades and sun hats. Doesn't look like those $2 finds are up Kim's alley though.

She seemed to be havin' the time of her life with James, who pretended to be one of her bodyguards while inside.

For those unaware, Kim's been on "The Late Late Show" a few times now ... and the content is always a hit with his audience -- stuff like a Kardashian-themed "House of the Dragon" parody or his popular "Spill Your Guts" segment.

BTW -- before James was in hot water for his interactions at an NYC restaurant, his show featured some backlash for "Spill Your Guts" ... with people saying some of the foods presented as "gross" are actually common in Asian cultures.

Oscar Pistorius could be released from prison at the end of this month ... the ex-Olympic sprinter is now up for parole in South Africa -- 10 years after he killed his girlfriend.

A hearing will go down on March 31, according to Pistorius' attorney, Julian Knight ... who added that if parole is granted during the proceedings, the convicted killer could be out from behind bars that same day.

Pistorius has completed more than half of the 13-year, 5-month sentence that he was given for shooting and killing 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in Feb. 2013.

You'll recall, Pistorius, a double-amputee nicknamed "Blade Runner," admitted to shooting her in his South African home -- though he claimed it wasn't on purpose ... saying he thought she was an intruder. He was eventually convicted of manslaughter, which was later upgraded to murder.

According to The Independent, Steenkamp's family is against Pistorius' early release ... though South African law will allow Pistorius to seek it nonetheless, as offenders in the country can apply for parole once they've served at least half of their sentences.

James "Tim" Norman, star of the reality series "Welcome To Sweetie Pie's," has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder-for-hire plot against his nephew.

Norman was handed his sentence Thursday, according to legal docs obtained by TMZ -- this after being found guilty in September of setting up his 21-year-old nephew Andre's slaying back in 2016.

As we reported, Norman was convicted of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Prosecutors said he tried cashing a life insurance policy on Andre worth $450K after working with a woman named Terica Ellis to pull off the killing.

FYI -- Ellis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and has pled guilty -- getting sentenced in January to 3 years behind bars.

The boyfriend of Alana Thompson -- AKA Honey Boo Boo -- has been arrested for DUI ... following a police chase with Alana riding in the same vehicle.

21-year-old Dralin Carswell was cuffed Tuesday in Monroe County, according to police ... who says 17-year-old Alana was in the car with Dralin when the tags on his Dodge Charger were run by police, which showed the owner of the vehicle had outstanding warrants.

Monroe County Lt. John Thompson says an officer then attempted to do a traffic stop on Dralin, but instead was led on a chase that went about 3 miles -- ending in a pit maneuver, spinning the car out.

Officers say they found marijuana and Dralin was arrested for DUI and fleeing from cops, as well as outstanding warrants out of Wilkinson County. Another passenger, Julian Malik Divon Williams, was also arrested for outstanding warrants.

Alana reportedly wasn't taken into custody, and was later picked up by her sister, Pumpkin. Monroe County Reporter first had the story.

"Real Housewives of Potomac" star, Michael Darby is taking Candiace Dillard Bassett to court for defamation ... after she claimed he offered up cash to have sexual relations with another man.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ashley Darby's hubby is suing Candiace over comments she made during the latest season of the reality series -- where she didn't hold back during one of her many arguments with Ashley.

On the show, Candiace tells Ashley, "Your husband likes to leave you and go to a man named [censored]'s house and suck his ****." She never says who the guy is, but Candiace later claimed Michael paid for sex.

Michael's calling BS on all of it ... adding he sent her a cease and desist earlier this year regarding her comments -- but claims she has yet to retract any of her allegations.

He wants $2 mil in damages to make things right.

Fans of the show know Candiace and the Darbys have had long-standing beef ... with her calling Michael and Ashley out numerous times. Looks like the latest incident took things too far, though ... at least according to Michael.

Drew Sidora is laying out exactly why she's calling it quits with her estranged husband, Ralph Pittman, accusing him of cheating, abuse and messing with her finances.

In an amended divorce complaint, obtained by TMZ, Drew says she simply cannot take Ralph's "continued blatant disrespect and mental abuse any longer."

She goes on to accuse Ralph of being a serial cheater during their marriage -- even claiming some of the women he's allegedly had affairs with have rubbed it in her face -- sending her screenshots of their "sexts" with Ralph.

That's not all ... Drew also says Ralph has recently gotten physical with her, claiming last month he grabbed her phone out of her hand, causing her to fall to the floor. She says Ralph yelled at her, saying he pays the cell phone bill so the phone belongs to him.

She says when Ralph got physically aggressive, she even considered leaving Atlanta and flying with her 3 minor children to Chicago where they'd feel safe.

She also says at one point, he withdrew a "large sum of money" from her account.

Drew says she and Ralph tried counseling, but it didn't work. In fact, she states after leaving a counseling session, Ralph asked her to give him a "heads up" before filing for divorce and that no matter what happened, he'd let her file first.

Interestingly enough, both Drew and Ralph filed for divorce on the same day -- February 27 -- she beat him by just one hour in filing.

Drew's asking for primary physical and joint legal custody of their 2 kids.

"Family by the Ton" star Casey King has shed HUNDREDS of pounds since his time on the series ... and his dating life and sex life have dramatically improved.

Casey tells TMZ ... being with women has been a new experience, saying that wasn't a part of his life back when he was at his heaviest at 845 pounds. He didn't lose his virginity until his mid-30s.

With the lbs coming off, Casey says he's gotten more confident in the bedroom ... using a potato metaphor --- watch the video, you'll understand.

The reality star is gung ho on getting his excess skin removed sometime this year ... he's meeting with doctors for a pretty radical procedure. A GoFundMe for his surgery has produced results ... he says $18k is already sitting in his bank account.

Fans of the show remember Casey got gastric bypass surgery, which reduced his weight to 525 lbs. Now, how's this for progress? He now tips the scales at 232 pounds! From his heaviest, Casey's dropped an astonishing 613 lbs!!!

Farrah Abraham is defending her daughter's new face piercings ... she says there are trade-offs to raising a teenager and is glad her 14-year-old isn't experimenting with drugs, alcohol or sex.

The "Teen Mom" star tells TMZ ... she wants to support her daughter as best she can, and if that means signing off on lip and ear piercings she wanted for her birthday, so be it ... because Sophia could be doing a lot worse.

Sophia got lip and ear piercings for her 14th birthday ... but mom says she made sure professional piercers were involved ... and she says Sophia actually didn't end up getting all the piercings after a professional advised against it.

While parents are blasting Farrah on social media ... she says some need to look in the mirror, because plenty of teens her daughter's age are already boozing, experimenting with drugs, dating and having sex ... things she considers way more dangerous than a piercing.

Sophia got a septum piercing last year for her 13th birthday, which Farrah also defended ... but this time she's advanced to the lips and ears.

Erika Jayne is keeping her lips sealed on potential new 'RHOBH' cast members -- now that they've started shooting -- but she's open about wanting Chrissy Teigen in the mix.

We got the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star out in WeHo and asked about the upcoming season of the show, which is gonna be very different without Erika's partner in crime, Lisa Rinna.

We raised the subject of Chrissy, Kyle Richards' top choice to join the cast, and Erika lit up ... saying she really likes CT, but added there's one big hiccup -- "Chrissy doesn't need this show!!!"

Erika couldn't even contain her laughter at the suggestion ... even if Kyle's throwing full support behind the idea of Chrissy being the perfect replacement.

Remember, Rinna recently announced she was leaving the show after 8 seasons.

Naturally, Erika told us her pal was simply irreplaceable. However, she's found some comfort in knowing she and Lisa remain friends outside the 'Housewives' universe ... aka IRL.

As for how the change is impacting the whole cast, she says everyone's dealing with it professionally.

Paris Hilton is kicking off her latest project in a massive way ... bringing some of her closest celeb pals together and, naturally, rocking a pretty iconic outfit for the event.

Paris was front and center for the opening of her "House of Y2K" pop-up Thursday night on Melrose in L.A. -- it's an interactive experience that dives deep into how trends and shopping evolved over the last 20 years.

Of course, it's not just a history lesson ... Paris' personal wardrobe is also on display, including some of her most famous 'fits.

As for her outfit choice Thursday night ... Paris rolled up with something identical to what she wore back in 2002 at her 21st birthday party -- talk about a blast from the past.

Some of her closest gals showed up to support Paris ... including her mama Kathy Hilton and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Faye Resnick.

Of course, Paris also had Kris Jenner by her side ... who has been friends with Kathy for decades ... and don't forget the early 2000s, when Kim Kardashian and Paris were painting the town red together.

Bethenny Frankel is suffering ... and the symptoms sound just awful.

Bethenny tearfully revealed her struggle Thursday, knowing her fans would instantly notice her face looked odd. She says it's all related to her struggle with POTS disease -- a blood circulation disorder that is associated with bloating, extreme achiness, weight gain and, worst of all, dehydration.

Bethenny says the dehydration is messing with her life in a profound way ... she cannot retain water, and it has all sorts of consequences for her health. Her doctors say it's all related to POTS.

The 52-year-old says her disease has magnified since COVID, and there's no cure so she's really struggling.