'He didn't kill anyone,' the Bravo host said.
Andy Cohen is defending Tom Sandoval. On the latest episode of Dear Media's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, the 54-year-old Bravolebrity spoke out against the amount of fan hatred coming Sandoval's way in the wake of his moths-long affair with Raquel Leviss, which came amid his relationship with Ariana Madix.
"Tom Sandoval made a mistake that he'll probably regret for the rest of his life," Cohen said. "He is still a person. It's out of control. I hope it's kind of dying down for his sake."
"He's a real person. He did something really stupid and hurtful and asinine and just every word," he added, before noting of Sandoval, "He didn't kill anyone. He did not commit a crime."
As for why the hate toward Sandoval has been so strong, Cohen speculated, "I think it's that this cast is so incestuous already. He's done it with one of Ariana's best friends, while [Raquel's] also been flirting with his best friend [Tom Schwartz]."
Even so, Cohen doesn't believe Sandoval should be fired from Vanderpump Rules as a result of his affair.
"Everyone's Team Ariana, but I'm also Team Tom Sandoval Staying on the Show," Cohen said, before explaining why firing Sandoval "would be quite hypocritical of that show."
"They've all cheated," he said of the VPR cast, "except Ariana and Katie [Maloney]."
Cohen's defense of Sandoval came shortly after Leviss' family contacted the FBI about death threats she's received since the Scandoval news broke.
"Thankfully, Raquel has not seen any of these messages as she's been seeking help at a mental health treatment facility and hasn't looked at her phone, social media or the internet in over a month," a source told ET.
While Leviss hasn't seen the specific messages, she is aware of the death threats against her, according to another source. "Out of concern for safety, Raquel and the treatment facility were informed of the threats," the second source said.
A Bravo spokesperson also reacted to the news, telling ET, "The threats being made on social media are appalling. Bravo strongly condemns this behavior and urges people to stop."
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