Kristen Doute, Tom Sandoval, and Luke Broderick. Getty Images (2); Michael Simon/Startraks
Kristen Doute let a cryptic quote do the talking for her after Tom Sandoval pulled called her out for weighing in on his lawsuit drama.
Doute, 41, took to Instagram on Sunday, July 22, to share a quote, which read, “The best part of being authentic is that there is no image to maintain. You will delight some and disturb others, and none of it will concern the truth of your being.”
The subtle social media post came one day after Sandoval, 42, attempted to publicly drag Doute for criticizing the legal action he took against his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix. Sandoval used screenshots from a conversation he had with Doute’s boyfriend, Luke Broderick, to attempt to prove his point.
“Really @kristendoute, I had the ‘audacity’??? I know this really didn’t come from @luke_broderick minutes after I made a statement,” Sandoval wrote via Instagram Story on Saturday. “BTW always have love for Luke.”
The text exchange showed Broderick, 33, allegedly offering Sandoval an opportunity to share his side of the story on the couple’s “Balancing Act” podcast. Broderick also made it clear to Sandoval that he didn’t have the same feelings on the situation as Doute did.
Sandoval made headlines on July 16 when Us Weekly broke the news that he filed a lawsuit against Madix, 39, after they were both sued by former Vanderpump Rules costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss for revenge porn, eavesdropping and invasion of privacy. Sandoval claimed Madix was to blame for a NSFW video of Leviss, 29, allegedly being sent around.
Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss. FAYES VISION/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
The TomTom co-owner, who had an affair with Leviss, accused Madix of obtaining access to his phone in March 2024 and reviewing videos of Sandoval and Leviss without his “authorization or permission.” The filing alleged that Madix “made copies” of the NSFW video and distributed it to “Leviss and third parties” against his authority.
Sandoval has since walked back the recent legal development by claiming he didn’t know he was going to be suing Madix.
“Late Tuesday afternoon, my attorney, Matt Geragos, whose advice I trusted, called me about the Cross-Complaint in the lawsuit against myself and Ariana,” Sandoval wrote via Instagram on Thursday. “He assured me that the action was customary and strictly preventative in these types of lawsuits and urged me to agree to it. The words ‘New Lawsuit’ or ‘Suing’ were not articulated to me. I should’ve done more of my due diligence on the matter.”
Sandoval said he has since “removed” Matt — who is the brother of Leviss’ attorney Mark Geragos — from his legal team.
“In no way am I suing Ariana. The action against Ariana brought on my behalf is being removed. I had no ill will or vindictiveness toward Ariana,” he continued. “Now, by removing both the Cross-Complaint and the attorney who recommended it, I hope to get through this case quickly, so that Ariana and I can both finally MOVE ON with our lives.”
Doute, meanwhile, shared her take on the situation on the Thursday, July 18, episode of her “Balancing Act” podcast.
“I was about to ream his asshole,” Doute said of the drama. “[The idea that] Tom is suing Ariana is bats—t f—ing crazy. I’ve been texting horrific things. I don’t want any of you to read about how vile I thought that was.”
Luke Broderick and Kristen Doute. Casey Durkin/Bravo
Broderick wasn’t on the same page as Doute due to his own history with being sued.
“It’s funny because when I first saw the article written about it, I said, ‘This is probably something just to separate Tom and Ariana, and it’s a normal legal proceeding,’” he recalled. “Because in the distribution of revenge porn, his attorneys probably said, ‘Look, if you file this against Ariana, then that removes you because she took it from your phone and therefore one of these allegations can get dropped against you.’”
The Valley costars went back and forth about their different perspectives. Doute later claimed she denied Sandoval’s request to appear on their podcast over some unnamed drama that he wanted to clear up at the time. Doute cited her loyalty to Madix as one of the reasons she didn’t want to give Sandoval a platform — which made Broderick’s alleged invitation all the more confusing.
This isn’t the first time, however, that Doute and Broderick had a public argument over Sandoval. In a January episode, Doute found out as they were filming an episode that Broderick spent time with Sandoval without her knowledge. Broderick used the opportunity to show his support for Sandoval and his home amid legal proceedings with Madix over their shared home.
“I understand both sides of it is all I’m saying, because I feel like I’ve gotten to know both of them. They’ve both been equally nice to me. No one has ever done anything that felt manipulative or mean or bad or whatever,” Broderick said at the time. “Outside judgment would be from the public view of either one of them.”
Doute poked fun at Broderick’s attempt to play both sides while complimenting Sandoval. “So you’re just basically saying Tom has a bunch of cool LED lights in his house, so you get why he wants to buy it,” she joked. “He’s like, ‘Look at my cool gym, bro.’”
