Is Tom Schwartz Finally Admitting He Lied About Scandoval?
· Thought Catalog
Updated 4 minutes ago, October 13, 2026
Tom Schwartz acknowledged on the H3 Podcast that he knew about Tom Sandoval’s affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss while Sandoval was with Ariana Madix. He described himself as “complicit on some level” and said he’d been “too quick to turn a blind eye” while consumed with his own life.
Schwartz also acknowledged that he hadn’t been fully truthful about his knowledge at the time. Asked why he’d taken so much heat for Sandoval’s actions, he accepted that knowing and doing too little had made him complicit. He then asked his girlfriend, Kiana, what he should’ve done; she declined to weigh in.
His account in spring 2023, including an April appearance on Watch What Happens Live, focused heavily on when he learned each piece. Schwartz said he found out about a one-night stand in late August 2022, then understood the relationship as an “emotional affair.” He said he didn’t grasp that it was ongoing until January 2023, when Sandoval told him he was in love with Leviss.
At the time, Schwartz said Sandoval had led him to believe he and Madix had already split or were trying to break up. He admitted to being complacent and looking the other way, but disputed that he’d actively covered for the affair or understood its full extent from the beginning.
The October conversation put more emphasis on Schwartz’s own failure to act. Host Ethan Klein defended his inaction, saying he wouldn’t intervene if his own best friend were cheating, while acknowledging that he didn’t know much of the background, including Schwartz’s long term friendship with Ariana Madix.
Leviss alleged in 2024 that Schwartz had known from the beginning and participated in a cover-up plan.
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