Benjamin Ashford|Tom Sandoval, Andy Cohen comment on rumored 'Vanderpump Rules' summer hiatus

"Vanderpump Rules" is Benjamin Ashfordrumored to be taking a summer hiatus following the aftermath of "Scandoval."

Tom Sandoval, who was at the epicenter of a cheating scandal involving his longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix and their former co-star Rachel "Raquel" Leviss, addressed the rumblings about the Bravo series break during an appearance on Fox 8's "New Day Cleveland" Wednesday.

"I think one of the things is that, coming out of this scandal, it was like we picked up filming right when everything first happened and then we kind of had a very short break and then right into went right into filming this season that you’re watching now, season 11," Sandoval said when asked about the rumored summer hiatus.

The reality star and cover band singer added, "They just wanna give it some time to breathe, take a break."

"I’m really excited about it," he said. "Because every year we film my birthday. We film Scheana (Shay)'s birthday at times or whatever. To kind of have a different time of the year, it might bring a fresh sort of feeling to our show."

USA TODAY has reached out to reps for "VPR" to comment.

Bravo host Andy Cohen, who does not produce the show, said on his SiriusXM show on Wednesday that it's not uncommon for the shows to have an extended break.

"We used to do this all the time with the 'Housewives.' We would say, 'You know what? Let's put cameras down for four or five months and come back to them,' and they will have lived life …" Cohen said. "Look, sometimes you want to pick cameras right up quickly because there's stuff happening and you want to get in there right away and sometimes you do want people to live their lives and see how things develop and so, I think it's a very good idea."

Cohen, who had Madix on his show "Watch What Happens Live" on Tuesday, continued, "I was talking to Ariana about this on the after show last night. I was saying, people do forget, especially as it relates to Ariana, who was the one cheated on."

He explained, "People forget that we picked up cameras a few, three months after she found out about that affair, so that's why she's still in the violently angry stage and you can understand that."

"Scandoval" was the name given by fans online to the cheating scandal that unfolded on and off the screen during Season 10 of "VPR" and the aftermath was highlighted in Season 11. Leviss did not return for the current season.

Tom Sandoval slammedby 'Vanderpump Rules' co-stars for posing with captive tiger

Raquel Leviss sued Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix amid Season 11 of 'VPR'

In February, Leviss filed a lawsuit against both Sandoval and Madix in Los Angeles, alleging revenge porn, invasion of privacy and eavesdropping, according to Deadline and Variety. This will likely be explored more in Season 12.

In 2023, the Bravo reality show documented Madix discovering that Sandoval was cheating on her with Leviss after she found a video on his phone that revealed the affair. In the show, Madix described discovering a screen recording of Sandoval and Leviss on FaceTime.

The complaint said there "is more to the story," though, alleging Leviss was "a victim of the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man, who recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent, which were then distributed, disseminated, and discussed publicly by a scorned woman seeking vengeance, catalyzing the scandal."

Leviss "became an object of public scorn and ridicule," culminating in her "months-long in-patient treatment at a mental health facility," because of a narrative that was "deliberately fomented by Bravo" and Evolution Media, the production company behind "Vanderpump Rules," the lawsuit argued.

It goes on to claim that Leviss was misled into "believing that she was contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment." Bravo refused to allow her an "opportunity to tell her side of the story and defend herself, which she repeatedly begged for permission to do," the suit alleged.

'VPR' star Rachel Leviss suesTom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports

Leviss previously alleged on Bethenny Frankel's "Just B" podcast last year that she didn't know she was being recorded when she was on FaceTime with Sandoval. "I decided to be adventurous and look at the adult section on the TV, and Tom and I FaceTime a lot, so it turned into more of an intimate FaceTime," she said. "I expected to have privacy in that moment."

When Madix subsequently messaged her "two screen-recorded videos and a text that said, 'You're dead to me,'" this is "how I found out that I had been recorded without my consent," Leviss said.

Contributing: Brendan Morrow, Edward Segarra, Emily DeLetter, USA TODAY