Tom Sandoval And Ariana Madix React To Lisa Vanderpump Quitting ‘The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills’

How do Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix feel about Lisa Vanderpump’s decision to quit her role on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after nine seasons?

During a chat with Extra TV‘s Renee Bargh over the weekend, the Vanderpump Rules cast members reacted to Vanderpump’s announcement and revealed what she would be doing with her free time.

“Filming something where she is that much in the mix, I’m sure it can be hard,” Sandoval explained.

Prior to the start of production on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 9 last spring, Vanderpump tragically lost her older brother, Mark Vanderpump, to suicide, and understandably, she struggled to cope with the drama of the season in the months that followed.

“Last year was really tough on her,” Madix explained.

According to Madix, who endured some rocky times with Vanderpump during the seventh season of Vanderpump Rules due to her treatment of Sandoval and their business partner, Tom Schwartz, Vanderpump is quite involved with the cast and for her, she prefers that she remain as close to their cast mates as possible.

As for what Vanderpump will be doing now that she’s freed up some of her schedule, Sandoval said she was planning to enjoy more family time with her children, including daughter Pandora, 33, and son Max, 27.

“We support any of Lisa’s decisions, especially along that nature. She has been doing it way longer than us, and if she is in a situation she needs to get out of, I respect that,” Sandoval added.

In addition to focusing on family, Vanderpump has been busy at her new restaurant in Las Vegas, the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, which opened earlier this year at Caesar’s Palace.

Vanderpump is also frequently seen at her other restaurants in Los Angeles, including Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills, and SUR Restaurant, PUMP Lounge and TomTom, which are all located in West Hollywood.

Sandoval and Madix have both been working at SUR Restaurant for several years.

Although there have been rumors suggesting there is a slight chance that Vanderpump will eventually return to the show, she has shot down those reports on Twitter and made it clear to her online audience that she can’t yet imagine reuniting with people who treated her so poorly during such a difficult time in her life.

The eighth season of Vanderpump Rules will air later this year on Bravo TV but a premiere date has not yet been set.