‘Vanderpump Rules’: Billie Lee Isn’t Picking Sides – ‘I’ll Continue to Support and Love Them Unconditionally’
Vanderpump Rules friend Billie Lee hit back at remarks that she needed to choose between Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
When it was revealed that Sandoval cheated on Madix with their mutual close friend Raquel Leviss, the cast overwhelmingly sided with Madix and shunned Sandoval.
And while Sandoval’s close friend Tom Schwartz hasn’t seemed to abandon Sandoval, Lee also hasn’t picked a side. But she’s being dragged for it.
Billie Lee has love for both Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix from ‘Vanderpump Rules’
After massive chatter, Lee finally shared a statement surrounding her friendship with Sandoval and Madix. “Tom and Ariana are my family,” she shared on Instagram. “They have been there for me over the years and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
“It saddens me that people are so fixated on picking a side,” she continued. “Both are human and are both hurting in their own ways. I’m allowed to be friends with one of my best friends who made a mistake while still holding him accountable and not commending what he did. Anything else is extremely immature.”
“There is a world where you can support and be there for both parties and that’s the world I choose to live in,” Lee added. “Ariana seems to be in a way better place. I’m so happy that she is moving on and Tom is really working hard on himself. I’ll continue to love and support them unconditionally.”
Ariana unfollowed Bille Lee on Instagram
The drama began when Lee was spotted out on the town with Sandoval. Madix unfollowed Lee on Instagram and Lee also unfollowed Madix. Then Kristen Doute commented on an Instagram post that Lee “cried at Ariana’s house days after Ari found out … smh.”
Lee shot back at Doute. “Ya, I was crying because they are BOTH my family! I was sad and still is! What were you doing while I was crying? Literally taking selfies with everyone including Ariana,” she wrote. “Like who does that? It felt like a funeral and you were taking selfies. Read the room! Your friendship is fake and performative.”
What is the history Bille Lee has with Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix?
Why does the breakup perhaps hit differently for Lee? Lee left her job at SUR and Vanderpump Rules due to feeling unsupported as the only transgender woman on the show. She recounted specific disturbing instances with Jax Taylor. And Lee said Taylor spread rumors that Sandoval was cheating on Madix because Madix and Sandoval were some of the few Vanderpump Rules cast who supported her.
She told Page Six in 2020 that Sandoval and Madix are like family. “Tom and Ariana have literally been like family to me,” she said. “Tom has helped me in ways. He buys me things. Even during the quarantine, he would be like, ‘I have toilet paper, I have this. Come over. I’ll get you whatever you need.’”
“It would be dope to have a spin-off of TomTom and focus on Tom and Ariana — people that actually care about other people,” she added. “I think that’s really important, and I hope through all of this, that they don’t lose their job because they have been nothing but amazing and supportive for me and every minority out there. And I really, really hope Bravo does the right thing by celebrating them.”
