A new season of Vanderpump Rules kicked off this week, which means that for the next couple of months, we’ll be enjoying the sort of sleazy West Hollywood drama that only the former SUR staffers can deliver.
The season premiere certainly didn’t disappoint, with a trio of high-profile breakups taking center stage:
Since last season’s finale, Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney got divorced; Lala Kent kicked Randall Emmett to the curb after finding out he cheated; and Raquel Leviss ended her engagement to James Kennedy.
(All three situations seemed to involve infidelity, with Schwartz confessing to infidelity this week, and Kennedy admitting that he hooked up with Lala early in his relationship with Raquel.)
Needless to say, that’s a lot to unpack.
But thankfully, not every couple in Vander-verse is constantly cheating on one another.
No, there’s one couple who’s been faithful to one another over the years — but that doesn’t mean they’re not subjected to rumors and allegations of bed-hopping.
In fact, some fans are convinced that Tom and Ariana’s relationship is a sham, a smokescreen designed to conceal the fact that they’re both secretly gay.
Why two progressive West Hollywood residents would feel the need to go to such great lengths to conceal their gayness in 2023 is anyone’s guess, but it’s best not to subject wild fan theories to logic or scrutiny.
Anyway, Ariana addressed the rumors at last week’s Vanderpump Season 10 premiere event.
“I think people see my relationship with Tom … as nontraditional in a lot of ways, and they think there’s got to be more to it, you know? [Like] I’m in the closet or Tom’s in the closet,” she told Page Six.
Ariana went on to explain that she and Tom are completely “open about” their relationship on TV, so “there’s really no other layers” to divulge.
She added that the biggest challenges she and Tom will face on the upcoming season of Vanderpump involve not their sex life, but the opening of Tom’s new restaurant, Schwartz and Sandy’s.
“It is tough for me when we’re both so busy, but at the same time, it’s like, I want the restaurant to be a success,” she explained.
“It’s definitely way better now because I can just go to the restaurant and really enjoy myself, and I love it there.”
“We dont have an open relationship,” Ariana tweeted after the topic came up in a recent Vanderpump trailer. “i’m really not that cool. thought that was obvious. #pumprules.”
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Ariana identifies as bisexual, and it seems that some Vanderpump viewers are confused as to what exactly that means.
In 2020, one fan asked Ariana if she’s “no longer bi” because she’s in a committed relationship.
Madix responded, “bisexual ≠ polyamorous.”
It’s a little surprising that Ariana needs to explain that here in the ’20s, but at least she was nice about it!