Ariana Madix (left) and Katie Maloney.Photo:Jordan Strauss/Bravo via Getty
Jordan Strauss/Bravo via Getty
Ariana MadixandKatie Maloneyare telling it like it is.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE on the red carpet ofBravoCon 2023, the two weighed in on all the drama that came out of Friday’sVanderpump Rulespanel, including theconstant booing for theirVPRcostarand Madix’s ex,Tom Sandoval.
“BravoCon always brings this kind of…” Madix, 38, said as her voice trailed off, before Maloney, 36, chimed in with, “Feral energy!”
Maloney continued, “People go buck wild, it’s crazy.”
“There’s always crossover show hook ups and panel drama,” Madix said as Maloney noted, “And people stirring the pot. I don’t know what it is — it’s a collective toxic energy that everyone already has on their own shows that comes together.”
Madix jokingly added: “That’s what makes BravoCon so fun!”
Asked about their thoughts on the fans booing Sandoval, the two felt their actions were warranted. “It’s to be expected,” Madix said.
Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix on the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ panel.Nicole Weingart/Bravo via Getty
Nicole Weingart/Bravo via Getty
Friday’s panel featured Madix, Sandoval and Maloney as well as the rest of theirVPRcostars, includingAlly Lewber,James Kennedy,Lala Kent,Lisa Vanderpump,Tom Schwartz,Scheana ShayandBrock Davies.
The reunion came eight months after Madix and Sandoval, 41, split afternine yearsof dating following the news of the TomTom co-owner’smonths-long affairwith their friend andVPRcostarRachel “Raquel” Leviss(who was not in attendance for Friday’s panel).
Vanderpump, 63, quickly chimed in and attempted to do crowd control, saying ofthe scandal that rocked the show: “I love them all individually, dearly. They have all screwed up at some point — maybe not to this extent. I’ve seen them grow up, and I think the magic of this show is they’ve had these intense relationships with each since way before the show started — and also with me. So I can’t judge them on one episode.”
“This season was extraordinarily difficult for Tom and Ariana … but for me as a maternal figure and a matriarch and a mentor to them … [I] try to facilitate some cohesion,” she added. “This isVanderpump Rules. It’s notLittle House on the Prairie.”
From left: Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz at BravoCon 2023’s ‘Vanderpump Rules’ panel.Bryan Steffy/Bravo via Getty
Bryan Steffy/Bravo via Getty
When asked what filming season 11 was like, Madix offered her perspective, telling moderatorKaramo Brown: “It was weird, it was difficult, and I’m glad it’s behind me.”
“I knew it was gonna be difficult, I knew it was gonna be weird,” she later added. “I knew I was gonna have some very strong and ultimately negative feelings but I think if anything, the last year has shown me I can do hard things and it was hard but we did it.”
Later, during the fan Q&A, Sandoval was asked if he has any regrets about the way things unfolded with Madix. He owned his missteps, saying, “Yes, of course, I would have done things differently. I can’t change what happened.”
Madix was also asked if she ever received a genuine apology from her ex, to which she claimed, “No, any apology was rescinded after what was said, so no.”
When asked why he chose to appear at BravoCon and take the heat instead of skipping out, Sandoval insisted: “I’d rather stand here and face it.”
From left: Ally Lewber, James Kennedy, Lala Kent at BravoCon 2023’s ‘Vanderpump Rules’ panel.Nicole Weingart/Bravo via Getty
For more of PEOPLE’s BravoCon coverage,click here.
Ahead of filming season 11, theSingle AF Cocktailsauthor toldThe New York Timesin May that sherefused to engage with Sandoval on camera.
“I have nothing to say to either of them,” Madix said of Sandoval and Leviss, 29. “Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends, and neither of them are in the group of friends, so, good luck.”
As for Sandoval, heopened up to PEOPLEin September about how long he thinks the public will hate him for his tryst with Leviss.
“I would say that it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better and don’t think for a second, ‘Oh, give it a week, give it a couple weeks, whatever,’” Sandoval said at the time. “No, this stuff stays with you for a while. I’m in this for the long haul. I know it.”
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Vanderpump Rulescan be streamed on Peacock.
BravoCon 2023 is continuing through Sunday, Nov. 5 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.
source: people.com
