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Tom Sandoval is trading reality TV drama for a primetime stage.
The Vanderpump Rules alum, 42, makes his America’s Got Talent debut on Tuesday, June 24, performing alongside his band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras. The performance comes more than two years after the scandal dubbed “Scandoval” upended his public image — and his nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix.
“My name is Tom Sandoval, I was the most hated man in America,” he says in a teaser clip shared by AGT‘s Instagram on June 20. “This is the chance to show who I am as a musician.”
In the footage, Sandoval hits the stage in a sparkly emerald green jacket, black pants and sneakers, delivering an energetic cover of A-ha’s “Take on Me” while dancing around with his band. Initially met with skeptical stares from judges Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara and Mel B, Sandoval eventually wins a smile from Cowell as he hits several high notes and gets the crowd on their feet.
Whether he impressed the judges enough to move forward remains to be seen — fans will have to tune in Tuesday night to find out.
Sandoval’s appearance comes on the heels of his headline-grabbing cheating scandal with costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. News of the affair broke in 2023 after Madix discovered explicit texts between Sandoval and Leviss while attending one of his concerts. The betrayal played out on Vanderpump Rules, with Bravo cameras picking back up post-wrap to film the fallout.
Leviss later sought mental health treatment and opted not to return for Season 11. Sandoval, meanwhile, publicly apologized multiple times for the affair, including in a March 2023 Instagram post: “I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
He added, “My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends … I owed Ariana better.”
Since then, Madix has moved on with boyfriend Daniel Wai, and Sandoval is now dating model Victoria Lee Robinson.
Sandoval also has a surprising tie to one of the AGT judges. In April 2023, he appeared on Howie Mandel’s Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast — his first on-air interview after the affair became public. The episode sparked backlash, with Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen and Bravo fans calling out Mandel for not pressing Sandoval harder. Mandel later admitted, “I think the reason that he’s here, unlike any other place, is because he knows he’s in an ignorant place where there’s no challenge and he doesn’t have to defend himself.”
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
