Tom Sandoval’s close friend Kyle Chan made headlines earlier this month for speaking out in defense of Sandoval’s girlfriend, Victoria Lee Robinson. The Jeweler appeared in an interview alongside Victoria on YouTuber Adam Newell’s platform, where they responded to Billie Lee’s recent podcast episode detailing her friendship breakup with Sandoval.
Kyle has become more integrated into the Vanderpump Rules gang’s drama in the last few years. He made frequent appearances in Season 11 of VPR, mainly in the company of Sandoval. The season finale centered around a cast trip to support his jewelry business in San Francisco.
Now that Kyle has become a more central character in VPR, fans may be wondering, “Who is this guy?” Don’t worry, we have you covered.
Here is everything you need to know about Kyle Chan:
He got his start in a hospital
According to his website, Kyle’s interest in jewelry began in a Los Angeles hospital in 2010. At the time, his boyfriend was receiving cancer treatment. He began making Wish bracelets while at the hospital, sometimes spending upwards of 8 hours a day on his jewelry.
He spoke to Page Six about his business origin story in a January 2019 interview.
“My boyfriend was actually diagnosed with leukemia, so he was literally in the hospital for about nine months,” he told the outlet. “[He] went for six months of chemotherapy. So during that time, I was managing [my old] company [and] trying to build my own company … when I was in the hospital for that nine months, I just kept making bracelets.”
From there he began selling jewelry out of local boutiques in the LA area.
He’s worked with the stars
The cast of VPR aren’t Kyle’s only celebrity clients. The Hong Kong native has worked with several A-list stars, including Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift. He also provided pieces for the Oscar-winning film LaLa Land. His green moss aquamarine necklace was featured in the film.
When he’s not making pieces for his celebrity clientele, he’s helping out his friends. According to Bravo.com, Kyle designed Katie Maloney and Scheana Shay’s (second) wedding rings. He also helped with Jax Taylor’s ring for Brittany Cartwright. A couple of those marriages may not have worked out but the rings were stunning.
His love for jewelry started young
In his interview with Page Six, Kyle opened up about how his love for jewelry began. He told the outlet he’s had an interest in the craft since high school.
“When I was 14, during high school, I needed to take an art class and I didn’t want it to be a boring [class] like painting or carpentry,” he shared. “So I saw jewelry making, jewelry class. So I took the jewelry class and I literally thought that I’m just putting some beads together, but it wasn’t. It was like a full-on metalsmith … surprisingly I’m still into it.”
He knew about the affair
Kyle’s name was thrust into the spotlight when it was rumored that he knew about Sandoval’s affair with Rachel Leviss months before it became public knowledge. Rachel confirmed that Kyle had knowledge of her and Sandoval’s secret rendezvous on an episode of her podcast Rachel Goes Rogue. Fans criticized him for being silent since he is also close friends with Ariana Madix.
Kyle explained his reasoning for hiding Sandoval’s secret during his interview with Adam Newell.
“What he did to Ariana, I think everybody knows is not defendable. I was not ok with it,” he said. “I was pretty honest with Ariana after [she] found out. I did apologize to her and I told her I [would have] really liked to tell her but I really [didn’t] think it was my place.”
Kyle added he isn’t the type to “out” his friend but he did suggest Sandoval come clean in the private conversations.
He’s feuding with Billie Lee
Kyle made it clear he is “Team Victoria” in his interview with Adam. He dismissed Billie’s claims, accusing her of being untruthful in her recent podcast episodes about Sandoval. Billie didn’t appreciate his comments and responded by throwing a few digs of her own on her podcast.
“I don’t think positive of him,” she told listeners. “I’ve always thought he was fake.”
Yikes. Shots fired!
