Heavy/NBCUniversal Lisa Vanderpump.
Raquel Leviss claimed Lisa Vanderpump went to great lengths to create a storyline for season 11 of “Vanderpump Rules.”
In January 2024, Leviss, who quit the Bravo reality show in 2023 following her bombshell cheating scandal with Tom Sandoval, accused Vanderpump of trying to set her up with a storyline centered around her giving up her dog, Graham Cracker.
On the January 8, debut episode of her “Rachel Goes Rogue” podcast, Leviss shared a lengthy story about Graham, the mini goldendoodle pup gifted to her by her parents as a college graduation gift. Leviss revealed how Graham ended up in the hands of Vanderpump Dogs, and later, back under her former fiancé James Kennedy’s care.
Raquel Leviss Gave the Backstory on Graham’s History
Speaking on her podcast, Leviss shared that Graham had a history of possessiveness and aggression. She also accused Kennedy of sometimes antagonizing the dog when they lived together. Following her split from Kennedy, Leviss maintained full care of Graham. But when she checked into a mental health treatment center last spring, her parents cared for her dog. Near the end of her treatment, Leviss’ mother called to let her know that Graham had severely bitten her finger. The family made the difficult decision to rehome Graham.
Leviss shared that her family found a breed-specific goldendoodle rescue in Southern California. “My mom made it very clear… she said that I’ve been in the media lately and we would like to keep this confidential,” Leviss said. “And they promised to do that.”
But after a scan of the dog’s microchip attached Leviss’ name to him, the rescue decided to contact Vanderpump Dogs. “And so, Lisa Vanderpump was notified that this goldendoodle rescue had Graham Cracker. I think they were asking for donation, but she was like ‘Oh I’ll adopt Graham Cracker,’” Leviss said in a faux British accent. “And so she adopts him, and then, you know, doesn’t tell me or anybody. Keeps it a secret because we all know her first priority is the storyline.”
At the time, Leviss was also in negotiations to return to “Vanderpump Rules.” “They were really trying to get me to sign to do ‘Vanderpump Rules’ before the cast trip to Lake Tahoe because that’s where they wanted me to re-enter,” Leviss alleged. “Ultimately, I said I can’t physically go back because it wouldn’t be good for me. And so they said, ‘Fine it’s over, you’re done.’”
Leviss said she was shocked the following week when she saw a social media photo of Kennedy reunited with Graham in Lake Tahoe. “My heart sank,” Leviss said, adding she thought at that at the time, “There’s no way that Graham will be back on the show, right? Like that just doesn’t make sense.”
Leviss said when they called the trainer was told, “Isn’t it great, Lisa Vanderpump adopted Graham? She said that if she can’t rehome him he’ll live out the rest of his days on her ranch.”
According to Entertainment Tonight Graham was picked up by Vanderpump Dogs Rescue on July 13, 2023.
Raquel Leviss Accused Lisa Vanderpump of Using Her Dog as ‘Bait’ To Get Her To Return to ‘Vanderpump Rules’
On her podcast, Leviss continued, “Lisa goes in adopts him takes him to Lake Tahoe and surprises James with Graham, saying … well I can only imagine. But basically, the story that they put out there is that Lisa told everyone that I surrendered my dog to a kill shelter and that he was hours away from being euthanized. So I know that’s the story, that’s the storyline they’re going to push for season 11.”
“Obviously, the goal is to get a reaction, right,” she added. “And James is a very reactive person. Their whole plan was to me to Tahoe so I could they could drop this bomb on me. I told Lisa, I texted her saying I don’t support Graham being with James. He needs to be with an owner who knows how to work with troubled dogs. And I won’t go into specifics of why I don’t think James is a worthy dog owner. And so she called me … but her concerns were with me coming back to the show. She said, ‘Well darling why don’t you just come back to Villa Rosa and bring some flowers and explain why you left SUR so abruptly without notice? And apologize and then you can explain your side of the story.’”
Leviss admitted Vanderpump almost “got” her with that idea because she did want to explain her side of the story. “This is my child that is being drawn into this mix,” she added of Graham. “And I feel like they were almost using him as bait. It’s definitely been a thought that’s crossed my mind, trying to get me back and explain myself. But I realize, if I were to explain the real story they wouldn’t air it. As a storyline standpoint, I know that James is now the number one guy in the group by process of elimination.”
As of this writing, Vanderpump has not responded to Leviss’ podcast allegations.
Graham’s Return to James Will Play Out on ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Season 11
On July 20, Kennedy posted photos to Instagram after his reunion with Graham, whom he has since renamed Hippie. “Look who made his way back home, back into my life. I’ll take care of you forever and I love you,” the DJ captioned the post.
Co-star Scheana Shay spoke out in an Amazon Live chat days later to share details of the reunion. We’re in Tahoe, right? And all of the sudden, Lisa Vanderpump comes down the stairs. She looks like an angel, by the way. She’s in all white, perfect glam, wedge heels.”
“She just comes down the stairs with a dog that looks identical to Graham,” Shay added. “And we’re all just like ‘What’s happening right now? Are we being Punk’d?”
“James’s heart is racing,” she added. “All of us were like, ‘What?’ Come to find out, Lisa rescued Graham, and he has now made his way back home to James.” Shay added that Kennedy “feels whole again” after reuniting with the dog.
In a New Year’s Instagram post, Kennedy described the rescued pup as his “greatest gift of all.” “Hippie my best friend my pup my lil guy is back home. We will love him until the end of time. 🐶,” the “Vanderpump Rules” star wrote.
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