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This 'Vanderpump Rules' star had a secret to rival 'Scandoval'

This 'Vanderpump Rules' star had a secret to rival 'Scandoval'

USA Today7 days ago
Before the Coldplay concert kiss cam, and before brassy Brat summer, a different kind of scandalous, salacious story captured the internet's attention: "Scandoval."
A head-scratching affair between Tom Sandoval and Rachel (formerly Raquel) Leviss during Season 10 of Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules" in 2023 tore the cast apart. One of said Bravo-lebrities, Scheana Shay, was best friends with Sandoval's girlfriend at the time, Ariana Madix. The gang grew recognizable overnight. Hero and villain narratives sprouted like giant beanstalks. Anyone who dared challenge the prevailing narrative faced the wrath of a ravenous cancel culture.
So when Shay showed Sandoval friendship the season after the Tom/Rachel/Ariana mess, viewers raised eyebrows. What kind of friend makes nice with the man who broke her friend's heart?
Shay shares her side of the story in "My Good Side" (out now from Grand Central Publishing), which traces the Californian's childhood to her relationship with actor Eddie Cibrian and of course, her "Vanderpump Rules" trials and tribulations. But like any reality TV story, all is not what it seems.
"I have always felt a calling to just share my lived experiences with the world, and I think that's why I love doing reality TV," Shay tells USA TODAY over a video call from New York. "But with doing reality TV, you only see one side. You only see parts of me, and this book shows all of me, the good side, the other side and everything in between."
Scheana Shay says 'I didn't deserve the betrayal or the labels'
Shay began her "Vanderpump Rules" journey as a Los Angeles waitress who dated Cibrian while he was married to "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Brandi Glanville. (Cibrian is currently married to singer LeAnn Rimes.)
Shay claims Cibrian gaslit her, insisting he wasn't married at the time. "I do wish that I questioned it more," Shay says. "That would have saved me a lot of heartache and embarrassment." Much like Hester Prynne, she said she felt the world slapped a big "scarlet letter" across her. Now, Shay dusts her shoulders off.
"I didn't deserve the betrayal or the labels, and I feel like I'm finally done carrying shame that isn't mine," she adds.
The reality star faced many heartbreaks in her life, from a friend's death by suicide to a miscarriage to the traumatic birth of her now 4-year-old daughter Summer Moon. Shay was diagnosed with preeclampsia and later HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) and later postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder. She shares her daughter with husband Brock Davies, who dealt her yet another heartbreak.
Scheana Shay finds 'strength in staying' and 'strength in leaving' after cheating
Shay revealed toward the end of her memoir that in the wake of "Scandoval," Davies admitted cheating on her two years earlier while she was pregnant. Yes, reality shows give us an inside look at people's lives, but Shay chose to keep the truth about her marriage from nearly everyone while filming of Season 11.
"I don't think our marriage was in a place where it could have survived that on that season," she says. "I'm glad that I kept that to myself for as long as I did, because it gave us a chance to really work on our marriage, for us, not for anyone else or anyone else's opinions."
Shay walked a difficult tightrope: Should she support Ariana Madix full-stop, only later to seem like a hypocrite when news of her own relationship drama broke? Should she tell all and be slammed with opportunist accusations? Or should she try to play both sides?
Madix "had every right to carry that narrative out. The focus needed to be on her. I also was still processing what I was going through. I was being very thoughtful about my daughter and how this could affect her, and I felt like at the time, I was not ready to open up about this," Shay says.
Shay found strength in forgiveness: "I feel like there's strength in staying, there's strength in leaving and I needed to make the decision that was going to be best for my family and figure out if I'm capable of forgiveness."
"As crazy as it sounds, I do trust him again, and I genuinely believe – and I'm sure people will say I'm naive – but I genuinely believe that he would never do this again, because he knows I would light him on fire and kick him out of the house."
Scheana Shay believes in 'not letting your past define your future'
Shay's manager introduced her to kintsugi, a Japanese art that pieces broken pottery back together using special gold paste to create something new and whole. Her single, "Good as Gold," is a nod to the practice and holds a deeper meaning about embracing our humanity. It's the ethos of her book: "turning pain into strength, scars into stories, and not letting your past define your future."
Her future includes her podcast and YouTube channel, and perhaps a bigger role on "Vanderpump Rules" spinoff "The Valley," where she recurs. The original series will include a new cast for upcoming Season 12.
If audiences learned anything, though, never count out a Scheana-ssance.
"Whatever show it is, I will be on your TV screens," she says. "Not going anywhere."
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Andy Byron's Net Worth Faces Significant Hit Over Astronomer Scandal
Andy Byron's Net Worth Faces Significant Hit Over Astronomer Scandal

Newsweek

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  • Newsweek

Andy Byron's Net Worth Faces Significant Hit Over Astronomer Scandal

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Astronomer CEO Andy Byron's net worth will likely take a hit following his resignation, experts tell Newsweek. Byron ignited a viral firestorm earlier this month when the married tech executive was caught on a Coldplay concert kiss cam with his arms around the company's HR chief, Kristin Cabot. Cabot has also resigned. During the rock band's July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a jumbotron panned to Byron and Cabot, who quickly dispersed when they realized they were on camera. The original video of the moment, posted by TikTok user Grace Springer, has garnered over 128.6 million views on the social media platform. "Oh, look at these two," Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said in the clip before they ducked out of view. "All right, come on. You're OK! Oh what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy. I'm not quite sure." What Is Andy Byron's Net Worth? Byron's compensation at Astronomer has not been made public, but the New York Post estimated his net worth to be between $20 million and $70 million. According to Astronomer's LinkedIn page, the software development business "empowers data teams to bring mission-critical analytics, AI, and software to life." Astronomer CEO Andy Byron's net worth is likely to take a hit following his resignation, experts tell Newsweek. Astronomer CEO Andy Byron's net worth is likely to take a hit following his resignation, experts tell Newsweek. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty The Financial Impact William Walter, managing director of leading PR and reputation management firm, Bridgehead Communications, told Newsweek Byron's resignation "will have an immediate financial impact." "If his compensation package included unvested stock options or performance-related bonuses, stepping down is likely to be very costly. If a divorce follows and no prenuptial agreement exists, that could also significantly impact his net worth, particularly if marital assets include company equity." Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, who reportedly changed her Facebook profile name before deactivating her account. "The more serious challenge is reputational," Walter said. "In tech, founder credibility is currency. A viral scandal like this undermines his personal brand and could make him toxic to investors, partners, and boards, at least in the short term. That reputational damage can ripple across future ventures, diminishing his ability to raise capital, lead teams, or command lucrative advisory roles." Walter added that while "rebuilding trust is possible, it takes a deliberate strategy." 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Chris Martin of Coldplay performs during their Music of the Spheres World Tour in Stanford, California, on May 31, Tech Examples Jong noted that, in the past, "we've seen before how a CEO's behavior can directly impact a company's brand image." "Take Elon Musk, for example, whose political rhetoric has negatively affected Tesla's reputation," the crisis management and crisis communication consultant said. "Whether Astronomer will suffer a similar fate is uncertain. A key difference is that Astronomer operates primarily in the business-to-business (B2B) market, where public perception tends to carry less weight than in consumer-facing sectors." Following Tesla CEO Musk's foray into federal politics as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year, polling last month revealed the billionaire businessman's favorability rating was -18.1, according to data compiled by Nate Silver's Silver Bulletin. 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Coldplay singer Chris Martin serenades MLS star Lionel Messi, his wife at concert
Coldplay singer Chris Martin serenades MLS star Lionel Messi, his wife at concert

Fox News

time14 hours ago

  • Fox News

Coldplay singer Chris Martin serenades MLS star Lionel Messi, his wife at concert

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