Vanderpump Rules

Tom Sandoval says he was close to taking his own life during the aftermath of his affair with Rachel Leviss.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star says there were times during the Scandoval when he "felt very, very close" to committing suicide.

Tom makes the sobering revelation Thursday in the first episode of his podcast, "Everybody Loves Tom," and says the backlash from the affair put him in a bad headspace that had a domino effect that brought him to the brink of suicide.

Following Scandoval, Tom says his world started collapsing and he couldn't see outside his feelings. He says things reached a head one day when he got back to the home he shares with his ex, Ariana Madix.

Tom also recalls a story about running into late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington a few days before he committed suicide in July 2017 ... with Tom saying he never understood how Chester could be in that frame of mind until he found himself in the middle of the Scandoval.

Thankfully, Tom says he had a few friends who were there for him despite all the drama ... and he's giving them props for basically saving his life.

Remember ... Rachel also dealt with mental health issues over the bombshell affair, spending a few months in a mental health facility.

Rachel ended up quitting 'VPR' but Tom was back filming the most recent season ... and it will be interesting to see if he talked about his suicidal thoughts on camera or if he just saved it for his podcast.

Before this serious kid with curly hair turned into a famous model and food-lover, she was just ringing up customers at the surf shop, living the SoCal life in Huntington Beach and getting her modeling career started at 18 years old.

This "legend" of a lady's career took off -- after holding a briefcase on the show "Deal Or No Deal" -- and in 2010 she landed on the cover as Sports Illustrated's "Rookie Of The Year." When she's not tending to her family of 6, you can find her and her famous hubby watching 'Housewives' and 'VPR.'

Tom Sandoval is a good dude who did a bad thing, but deserves a second chance -- so says another guy well-versed in reality TV romance ... Mr. Tyler Cameron.

We got the 'Bachelorette' alum Tuesday in L.A., and since he's fresh off hanging with Tom on FOX's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" ... we asked about Sandoval's chances of rekindling with his 'Vanderpump' costar Rachel Leviss.

If ya missed it, Tom wished Rachel happy birthday on social media, only for her to block him with quickness.

Ty says getting blocked is never a good sign for reconciliation -- speaking from personal experience -- so on the prospect of TS and RL getting back together ... he's not hopeful.

Now, on the issue of Tom's character ... Tyler says he actually thinks the guy's got a good heart. The fellas got to know each other not too long ago while competing on the FOX reality show.

Tyler explains to us what he learned about Tom while shooting the show, and it's pretty illuminating. Sounds like Tyler believes Tom should be shown some grace.

Lastly, Tyler offers some relationship advice and it's simple, yet effective. One gal at a time is the takeaway here -- and based on what we've seen from Tom these past couple days ... it appears he's already putting TC's tips to good use.

Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss are still in touch -- at least in one direction -- 'cause one of them is wishing the other a happy birthday ... even though they seem to be miles apart.

Rachel posted a video Sunday showing off where she's been hanging out lately, and it looks lovely -- a beautiful farm setting with a garden of flowers all around, which she's enjoying to the max. Her caption was, "I've been dreaming of a place like this."

While the clip went up 2 days ago, TS just commented on it Tuesday ... which is Rachel's 29th birthday. He wrote, "Happy Birthday Rachel, I really hope ur finding peace and happiness. Miss u friend."

Rachel hasn't responded ... but a lot of other people have, and most of the reactions to his unprompted shout-out aren't great. As you might imagine, folks are telling Tom to buzz off.

Seems the wounds of the cheating scandal are still fresh for many fans ... even though most of the '"Vanderpump Rules" cast is already moving on -- as cameras have been rolling for a new season, sans Rachel.

Remember ... she stepped away to deal with her mental health in the aftermath of the combative reunion, and at this point -- there's no indication she plans on coming back to L.A., at least for the time being anyway.

Meanwhile, Ariana Madix has a new man ... and Tom appears to be linked to a new flame.

And yet, he still has Rachel on the brain -- despite all they've been through.

Tom Sandoval parece tener un nuevo amor: este lunes se lo vio guiando a una mujer muy bonita de vuelta a su departamento para poner fin a otro fin de semana fuera de casa.

La estrella de "Vanderpump Rules" fue fotografiado la madrugada del lunes, un poco antes de las 2 AM, llevando a la cantante y compositora Tii a su apartamento después de haber salido juntos de un bar en West Hollywood.

Sí, él la llevaba de la mano, con los dedos entrelazados, mientras paseaban.

Lo que es interesante es que hace apenas un mes, Tom negó que Tii fuera algo más que una amiga. Se los había visto saliendo juntos últimamente, y cuando se le preguntó a Tom al respecto, negó cualquier romance.

Ahora parece que el gato está saliendo de la bolsa. Los amigos no se vinculan de esta manera, menos aún en la noche. Ahora, en cuanto a quién es ella exactamente, como hemos dicho, Tii incursiona en la música, por lo que tienen eso en común de buenas a primeras. Se dice que Tom conoció a Tii a través de una amiga común, Billie Lee.

De cualquier forma, esto es una prueba más de que todo el mundo está dando vuelta la página después de todo el asunto del engaño a principios de este año. Las consecuencias duraron un buen tiempo, pero todos los involucrados están dándolo por superado.

Tom Sandoval looks to have a new flame -- 'cause he was guiding a PYT back to his pad to cap off another weekend where he was out and about.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star was photographed early Monday morning, a little before 2 AM, leading singer-songwriter Tii to his apartment after they'd left a bar together in West Hollywood.

Yes, he was indeed holding her hand -- with fingers interlocked, mind you -- as they strolled along.

What's interesting ... Tom, just a month ago, denied Tii was anything but a pal. They'd been spotted hanging out lately, and when asked about it, he denied any romance.

Now, it seems the cat is out of the bag ... friends don't link up like this, especially on the late night. Now, as for who exactly she is -- like we said, she dabbles in music, so they have that in common right off the bat. Tom reportedly met Tii through mutual buddy, Billie Lee.

Anyway, just more evidence everyone's turning the page after the whole cheating thing earlier this year. The fallout lasted for a good while, but everybody involved is moving on.

Tom Sandoval got in the middle of a tug-of-war during the wrap party for "Vanderpump Rules" season 11, after a man hurled a glass of wine at a security guard.

The man -- not sure who he is -- just launched as he hijacked the party. After throwing the wine, the dude picked up a chair. You see Tom run into frame trying to calm things down, as another security guard restrains the guy by grabbing his arms. An aggressive tug-of-war then begins.

The TikToker who shot the video says the dude is not a cast member and was not going after Tom. The TikToker said, “We were just sitting at a table and this random guy came and he grabbed the centerpiece [of a] flower vase [and] chucked it at the security guard.”

Metallica is in town -- performing in the City of Angels -- and Hollywood's biggest stars made sure they were front and center to catch the all action ... including a rowdy Jason Momoa.

The legendary rock band stopped off in Los Angeles Friday night for one of two concerts they're doing here at SoFi Stadium -- with Pantera and Mammoth WVH opening -- and it looks like JM wanted to be among the people as they head-banged and jumped for dear life.

Watch ... there's footage circulating showing Jason in a mosh pit as Pantera was performing, and the dude was thrashing around with all the normie fans who scored good tickets.

As you can imagine, it was a pretty surreal scene -- but the dude's super down to earth, and he was certainly being embraced by the metal-head Angelenos ... perhaps even being bumped into a bit! He's a big guy, so he can hold his own.

Jason was far from the only famous face on the scene there at SoFi -- TONS of other celebs attended ... and they were all trotted out in none other than Pantera drummer Charlie Benante's IG, where he posted a lot of photos with stars who made their way backstage.

Among the A-listers who were craving rock and roll and feeling snap-happy ... John Travolta, Tom Sandoval, Adria Arjona, John 5, Tommy Lee and others. JM was in the mix too.

It's cool to see so many celebs coming out for an older group like Metallica ... these days, it feels like folks will only pack a stadium for the likes of Taylor Swift, Drake or Harry Styles -- but this just goes to show, there's still a lot of fandom for the great acts of the 20th century.

Like we said, Metallica's got another concert on Sunday ... we'll see who shows out for that.

Rachel Leviss may not be coming back to "Vanderpump Rules," but that isn't stopping Scheana Shay.

Scheana is dropping a new song Friday called "Apples" ... in which some of the lyrics go like this ... "I was with you on your worst day / You stabbed me in the worst way / How you gonna lie to my face?"

Scheana wasn't done ... "And you said that we would always be friends / Party on the weekend / But then you’re gone without a trace; I thought you were grateful / I found out you’re fake, though / I hope there’s a place for friends like you."

Interesting ... saying "you're gone without a trace" suggests Scheana is completely done with her friendship with Rachel or she's pissed Rachel decided not to return to 'VPR' ... safe to assume the latter.

And get this ... Shay labels Rachel a "narcissistic psychopath" whom she "cut out like lipo."

Scheana was pissed at the time over Rachel having an affair with Tom Sandoval ... ultimately resulting in Rachel (then Raquel) getting a restraining order against her after claiming Scheana physically attacked her.

Scheana denied the whole thing, with her lawyer calling Rachel a "known liar and a cheat." As you know, Scheana won in the end -- with the whole thing eventually getting dismissed.

Tom Schwartz is sporting a new hairdo ... and he says it's got a lot to do with his age.

We got the "Vanderpump Rules" star heading into his TomTom restaurant in West Hollywood with Lisa Vanderpump ... and our photog asked about his bleached blond hair ... a far cry from his natural brown locks.

Tom tells us he's having a midlife crisis ... so he's going blond, with the aim of finishing his summer strong.

While it sounds like Tom's joking about the midlife crisis, he's ripe for it ... he's about to turn 41 years old and the age range for midlife is 40 to 60 ... so he's now in the sweet spot.

Tom's boss, Lisa, is clearly not a fan ... telling us she's about to take the clippers to his new look.

Rachel Leviss is reemerging way outside the "Vanderpump Rules" orbit ... soaking up the Arizona sun in a bikini.

The 'VPR' star was poolside in Scottsdale Wednesday, the day before Lisa Vanderpump told us she was not coming back to the Bravo show for season 11 ... and looking absolutely unbothered.

Rachel lounged around in a daybed and took a dip in the water ... rocking a palm leaf bikini set and sunglasses.

It looks like Rachel has the entire pool area to herself, a much different situation than what she'd face on set of the popular reality show.

Rachel's been back in her home state since the 'VPR' reunion, where things got heated and emotional as a result of her role in the Scandoval.

She spent around 100 days in a mental health facility, and she surfaced earlier this month at a Massage Envy in Tucson.

Lisa Vanderpump's making it official ... Rachel Leviss is not coming back for season 11 of "Vanderpump Rules," even though she initially indicated to the big boss she was interested in rejoining the cast.

We got Lisa Thursday as she was heading to TomTom in WeHo, and when we asked about Rachel remaining on the sidelines ... she said they tried to accommodate her.

Lisa tells us she talked to Rachel about doing a one-on-one on-camera interview to focus on Rachel's growth and thoughts about being in a mental health facility during the Scandoval fallout.

Obviously, that didn't come to fruition, but Lisa says Rachel's team showed interest.

It's interesting ... Lisa says Rachel coming back to film with the rest of the cast probably would not have worked anyways, because most, if not all, of the cast doesn't believe anything that comes out of Rachel's mouth.

Case in point ... this week, Rachel claimed Tom Sandoval was offered a producer credit for season 11, but Lisa tells us that notion is "hilarious" and news to her as an executive producer and show creator.

A Bravo spokesperson also confirmed to us Sandoval was never offered a producer credit on season 11, and has absolutely no creative control over any 'VPR' editing.

Sandoval and Tom Schwartz were also at TomTom after LV broke the news Rachel's not coming back ... and they had 2 very different reactions.

In any event, Rachel's gonna have plenty of time for spa appointments over in her home state of Arizona.

Rachel Leviss made a killing on the last season of "Vanderpump Rules," TMZ has learned ... which makes Bethenny Frankel's claim Rachel made less than her interns a bunch of BS.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Rachel made more than $350k for season 10 of the show -- nearly $20k an episode for a total of 19 episodes -- so certainly not chump change.

ICYMI, Bethenny told Rachel on her "Just B" podcast Wednesday that her own interns make more dough than Rachel did on 'VPR,' which came as a shock to Rachel.

Fans online slammed Bethenny's interview as embarrassing, and reminiscent of Howie Mandel's unhinged interview with Tom Sandoval back in April -- focusing more on his mustache than the cheating scandal.

Folks also pointed out the fact Bethenny didn't seem prepped for the interview, and she even admitted on the podcast that she had never watched the Bravo show and had only seen clips online after taking interest in Rachel and Scandoval.

So Bethenny either had no clue what Rachel really made, or she's completely overpaying her interns ... 'cause $350k ain't bad.

You'll recall, Bethenny and her attorneys have been hearing from dozens of NBC reality stars after firing off a legal threat earlier this month, claiming production employees have been tormenting the shows' castmembers. She's even been fighting for reality stars to unionize.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Rachel Leviss is breaking her silence for the first time since getting out of rehab, talking about Scandoval, and revealing how she feels she was unfairly labeled as the show's villain despite her castmates pulling off the same conduct in the past.

Leviss sat with 'RHONY' alum Bethenny Frankel on her 'Just B' podcast to explain why she took several months out of the public eye at a mental health facility, saying, "... part of the reason why I wanted to go to a treatment facility was to understand my behaviors and my goal was to really get down to the bottom of, "OK why am I choosing men that are unavailable, why do I keep finding myself in unhealthy relationships, what are the things that I need to change about my behavior?"

Rachel also says she believes it was unfair she took so much hate for her affair with Tom Sandoval, when just about every single other cast member has been involved in cheating.

Leviss says of affairs, "It's bad in normal life, but with producers it's good ... affairs are good for TV."

Then, she turns her attention to Tom and their whirlwind relationship, saying while she felt she was in love with him at the time, she now realizes it wasn't real ... and she doesn't believe he truly loved her, either.

The chat with Bethenny wasn't all defensive, however, saying, "I do want to take a moment though to just acknowledge the hurt that I brought to a lot of people. I was not careful in my actions and I was not thinking long-term. I was completely wrapped up in heartbreak and wanting to get certain needs met."

Rachel also hints at her future with the show, and while she doesn't say it directly, it doesn't sound like she's coming back, stating, "And you mentioned something about the addiction of doing reality TV and the way that they always dangle that carrot in front of you, like, ‘Well, you need to tell your side of the story otherwise it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So I almost went back, I know just because of that.”

As we reported, Bethenny is leading the charge in a war against NBC, Bravo and others for what she believes has been the unfair treatment of reality stars over the years -- fueling contestants with booze, ignoring their mental health and adding additional stress.

Unclear if Rachel will join that fight, but we spoke to attorney Bryan Freedman who says he's been contacted by a ton of former stars who all want to join in against the networks.

We covered the drama on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant is back in action ... about a month after PUMP closed down, the famous eatery appears to have found a new home just a few doors down.

Lisa's iconic PUMP Restaurant Lounge signage popped up Monday in West Hollywood, right next to TomTom ... the restaurant she co-owns with Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.

The pics and sign seem to have all the makings of Lisa's new location.

Remember ... Lisa's landmark WeHo restaurant closed down in July, and the place was packed with fans before the official closing date, with the cast of "Vanderpump Rules" even filming a farewell scene before the location shuttered.

TomTom and the new PUMP are just three doors down from the OG Pump ... so Lisa didn't have to look far for a new location.

Rachel Leviss hasn't shown face for the next season of "Vanderpump Rules" -- and based on where she popped up Tuesday, that's not likely to change as filming continues.

The reality TV star -- who was at the center of last season's cheating scandal, aka 'Scandoval' -- surfaced at a Massage Envy in Tucson, AZ around noon -- where she was chatting with a front desk attendant, seemingly chatting about some services for herself.

In these images, obtained by TMZ, you can see she's not really trying to go incognito ... but we're told she was somewhat soft-spoken while interacting with the employee, and trying not to draw attention.

That's a tall order when you were the biggest thing on reality TV for several months.

We know Rachel has family there, so presumably she's staying with them right now ... on the heels of checking out of a mental health facility, where we're told she'd been for 100 days.

Considering RL was by herself for this outing, with no cameras around and no sign of any other 'Vanderpump' cast members ... this supports the growing sentiment Rachel's probably skipping out altogether on filming Season 11.

Production has been underway since June, and we're already into August ... with the rest of the cast ensconced in whatever storylines have cropped up at this point. As we reported -- several cast members are feeling like it's a no-go for Rachel, and that they won't see her.

That's definitely crappy for Bravo, which almost certainly wanted her to be in the mix to keep the drama going -- but there's no telling what this season is shaping up to be with her MIA.

In the meantime, Rachel's doing what's best for her.