His take on Scandoval! Carl Radke isn’t on Vanderpump Rules, but he still has some thoughts on Tom Sandoval‘s cheating scandal and split from Ariana Madix.
“I actually unfollowed him,” the Summer House star, 38, exclusively told Us Weekly of the former SUR bartender, 40, on Monday, May 22, while promoting his partnership with Talkspace. “I don’t condone cheating. I don’t love the lying and the way that he responded to some of it.”
The producer added that he doesn’t want to “beat on” his fellow Bravo star when he’s down, but he also doesn’t want to “partake” in his behavior. “I, again, wish him all the best in his journey in life, but we’re Team Ariana over here,” Carl added.
Us confirmed in March that Tom and Ariana, 37, called it quits after the musician was caught having an affair with their Pump Rules costar Raquel Leviss. Fans saw the aftermath of the scandal play out during the show’s season 10 finale on Wednesday, May 17.
After the episode, Ariana appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen before meeting up with Bravo stars from other shows during her visit to New York City. The Fancy AF Cocktails coauthor enjoyed a group date with costar Scheana Shay and her husband, Brock Davies, as well as Carl and his fiancée, Lindsay Hubbard.
“I really enjoyed hanging out with her. She was really sweet to us,” Carl told Us. “She’s such a sweetheart and hanging out with her this past week was awesome. … She seems to be doing really well, all things considered.”
The Loverboy investor went on to praise the “genuinely kind” Ariana for the way she’s been coping with the breakup and its aftermath. “My hat’s off to her,” he told Us. “She’s handled it — admirably, I think is probably the best word — but the strength and the courage she’s had to deal with this so publicly? I could certainly relate to difficult things being so public, but this is on a totally different level.”
The Bravo personality is sensitive to Ariana’s struggle after dealing with public interest in his own personal life. “Every season of the show’s been hard at times,” Carl recalled. “If you go all the way back to seasons 1 through 5, I had a lot of things that were difficult, and I probably dealt with it way differently in those early seasons, whether it was drinking or partying.”
Now, however, the sales pro has gotten more comfortable speaking out about the importance of mental health, which is why he partnered with Talkspace for their “Celebrate Every Step” campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month.
“I’ve been on a mental health journey for many years. It’s something I’m really passionate about,” Carl explained. “Therapy’s played a big role in how I’ve been able to overcome things in my life and arrive in relationships and show up for my friends and family and fiancée in a more profound way.”
The film producer added that he hopes his involvement in the campaign can help diminish the stigma around asking for help. “If I can help one person place a phone call to go to a therapist, that’s unbelievable and that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “Normalize it. People go to the gym and work out to be in shape for their bodies, but then you should go to the gym for your mind. That’s really what I want to continue to promote, just because it’s worked for me. And I’d like to think it could work for other people too.”
