Tom Sandoval‘s former assistant Ann Maddox is speaking out about the Vanderpump Rules star!
Ann has recently been seen on the Bravo series in the latest season as she works to communicate between Tom and his ex Ariana Madix while still living in the same house.
In a new interview, Ann opened up about the cheating scandal, Rachel Leviss‘ new podcast, being a go-between for Tom and Ariana, and more.
Keep reading to find out more…
While speaking with Variety, Ann shared that she started working for Tom in 2020 and actually found about Scandoval while she was in Japan.
“It was super early in the morning, I guess, because of the time difference,” she said of when she found out, noting her phone was blowing up with lots of texts. “At first, I didn’t believe it and kinda brushed it off as tabloid rumors, but she explained to me that it was all real. And that kinda flipped my world upside down. I was in shock and totally confused.”
“Honestly, I was crushed. I talk about this on the pod [We Signed an NDA] too, but as a personal assistant you spend a lot of hours with your boss and their family. They sort of become like family too!” Ann shared. “Some of my best memories were working late nights at their house, hanging with the both of them, helping them pack for a trip, or whatnot. Especially going through a pandemic together you become close. There was a level of trust and safety in letting people into your home then and I deeply appreciated being let in. I still do! I also had just lost my father around then, and I am a child of divorced parents, so when I found out, I was really, really sad and confused. Maybe I was subconsciously reliving some old trauma of my own, but I definitely felt like I had just found out something I never would have ever guessed in a million years about a family member.”
On Rachel Leviss, Ann shared that she did like her, but “when you like someone and you find out something about them that hurts to hear, it can be difficult to put those two sides of someone together. Maybe I’m way too sensitive, but I’m still kind of processing it?”
She does listen to Rachel‘s new podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue, “part curiosity, part trying to figure out my own feelings, and part really interested in her journey through her therapy.”
As shown on Vanderpump Rules, Ann has been the one to communicate with Ariana on behalf of Tom, and she opened up about how she communicates and changing up the wording.
“The goal, as a personal assistant, is to get your boss what he needs. So I may take some liberty in how I ask, because I prefer to approach situations with maximal courtesy and politeness? I’m Japanese,” Ann said.
She also added that her improv background helped her being a go-between for them.
“It might be a dorky thing to say, but the core principle of ‘yes and…’ and just agreeing and listening and accepting someone’s feelings and their needs before responding is just a helpful tool in life. Also helps in staying calm in stressful situations.”
While Ann doesn’t work for Tom anymore, she noted that she “can’t spill the beans yet,” so perhaps we will see it play out on the show later in the season?
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