Ariana Madix came to her friend Scheana Shay’s defense after fans called the latter “fake” for hanging out with Tom Sandoval.
“@scheana is an amazing friend who took a photo with a fan for their birthday,” the “Vanderpump Rules” star wrote via her Instagram Stories Friday.
“there’s been so many mean comments towards her for it and she was just doing something nice.”
Madix, 38, added that she and her castmates “always try to stop for photos” with fans and noted it’s “common” for everyone to be in the pics regardless of what is going within the group.
The Something About Her sandwich shop spoke out after fans slammed Shay, also 38, for appearing friendly with Sandoval, 41, during a cast trip to Lake Tahoe.
Aside from posing for a group photo with the Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras frontman, Shay shared a video in which her disgraced co-star’s voice could be heard off-camera.
“Is that Sandoval’s voice??? All is forgiven, I guess #pumprules,” said the fan, referring to Sandoval’s scandalous affair with co-star Raquel Leviss.
“Most definitely is S–tSandwichSandoval, the group sounds rather comfortable kinda like nothing has happen,” added another.
“So everyone is hanging out with Sandoval? Because I can hear James, pretty sure Ally walking next to Lala. They are all in Lake Tahoe,” said a third.
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“this gonna piss me off if they’re all gonna be kumbaya after that whole reunion,” a fourth user tweeted, while another wrote, “And if all is forgiven, I won’t be watching ‘Vanderpump Rules.’”
Following the backlash, “Pump Rules” co-star Lala Kent went on a rant, blasting the “stupid” haters for criticizing Shay.
The mom of one, 32, clarified that she and Shay — along with co-stars Brock Davies, James Kennedy, Ally Lewber and Tom Schwartz — only posed with Sandoval for a pic for a fan’s birthday.
“What are we gonna be like, ‘No. Absolutely not.’ Like, no, ‘Happy birthday, let’s take a f–king picture,’” she said. “It’s called adulting.”
Shay, who was laying next to Kent in bed during the video, chimed in explaining, “We’re in a group. We’re all here. We hopped in a photo. You know what? I happened to be standing where I was standing.”
Shay also shut down speculation that she and Sandoval had reconciled after he was caught cheating on Madix in March.
An insider exclusively previously told Page Six that the “Pump Rules” cast members who went on the lake trip made a truce to keep things peaceful while checking out Lisa Vanderpump’s new establishment there.
“Just because the cast is in the same vicinity doesn’t mean that they are getting along,” the source said Wednesday. “They are there to support Lisa’s new restaurant and are honoring her request that temperatures be lowered at the moment.”