The Star of the New Season of ‘Vanderpump’? A Personal Assistant Named Ann.

When Ann Maddox agreed to become the personal assistant for a Bravo reality TV star in December 2020, she thought she would be organizing closets and running errands while building out her acting résumé. Three years later, that gig has evolved into her being the primary mediator between a couple at the heart of one of reality television’s most explosive breakups.

Until just a few weeks ago, Ms. Maddox, 42, worked as the personal assistant for Tom Sandoval, one of the stars of “Vanderpump Rules,” who broke the internet last year when the news emerged that he had cheated on his longtime partner, Ariana Madix, with one of her best friends and fellow castmates, Raquel Leviss. The subsequent scandal (widely known by its nom de web, Scandoval) ricocheted across tabloids, initiating reactions from A-listers like Jennifer Lopez and Chris Pratt. The event catapulted Ms. Madix into a new level of fame, including a turn in “Chicago” on Broadway.

Throughout it all, Ms. Maddox (no relation to Ms. Madix) has had a front-row seat to the unfolding mayhem, though she has said that she had no prior knowledge of Mr. Sandoval’s affair.

Ms. Maddox said in an email on Tuesday that she had “brushed it off as tabloid hullabaloo” until a friend explained to her that it was real. “I was truly crushed,” she wrote. “It broke my heart and it took a long time for it to sink in.”

Ms. Maddox appeared on camera for the first time this season, which had its premiere Jan. 30, serving as mediator between the two bitter exes, who are still living in the same house. When they want to move from room to room, they alert Ms. Maddox, who runs interference.

In Episode 2, when Mr. Sandoval wants to have a birthday party at the house, it’s Ms. Maddox’s job to negotiate via text with Ms. Madix to get her permission. With her help, the two settle on a compromise: He can have the party, but everyone has to be out of the house by midnight. In addition to interceding in their domestic drama, Ms. Maddox is also charged with intercepting any letters or packages that Ms. Leviss might send to Mr. Sandoval, before Ms. Madix can see them.