Getty Rachel Leviss and Ariana Madix.
“Vanderpump Rules” alum Rachel “Raquel” Leviss says her former castmate Ariana Madix was one of the reasons she left the Bravo series after its 10th season.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Leviss released a clip from the premiere episode of her podcast, “Rachel Goes Rogue” on December 18. During the preview, she referenced that she opted to not appear in the upcoming 11th season of “Vanderpump Rules” after Madix discovered she was having a relationship with her then boyfriend, Tom Sandoval. She said she stopped starring on “Vanderpump Rules” partially because she wanted to protect Madix from watching her have interactions with Sandoval. She confided that she was upset when she, her ex-fiance, James Kennedy, and his girlfriend, Ally Lewber, had to film together during the show’s 10th season.
“Looking back and seeing how much pain I was in interacting with James on camera and seeing his new girlfriend, I could only imagine the pain that I would cause by filming in the same environment with Ariana,” said Leviss.
The 29-year-old stated that she had already hurt and betrayed Madix by having a romance with her ex-boyfriend. She explained she did not want to exacerbate Madix’s pain by filming with the show’s cast in season 11.
“To continue working with these people and interacting with them, maybe not even speaking, but like hearing about what they’re doing,” said Leviss. “And seeing your person that you loved so much and thought that they loved you just as much as you loved them be conversing with this other person, it would just be so catastrophic. And I didn’t want to do that to Ariana. I didn’t want to put her in that position.”
Tom Sandoval Discussed His Relationship With Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss in a December 2023 Interview
During an appearance on the December 7 episode of Tamra Judge and Teddi Mellencamp‘s podcast “Two Ts In A Pod,” Sandoval discussed his and Leviss’ relationship. According to Sandoval, he intended to continue his romance with Leviss following their March 2023 cheating scandal. The Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras singer also stated that he changed aspects of his lifestyle to make Leviss more comfortable during her stay at the treatment facility, The Meadows.
“I stopped drinking. I stopped smoking cigarettes because she went away to a facility. I’m like, ‘She can’t drink. She can’t smoke. I’m going to quit.’ I haven’t gone this long without drinking since I was like 16. And it’s been eight months. And I stopped for her,” said Sandoval.
In addition, Sandoval stated he was hurt when Leviss decided to stop communicating with him.
“We were best friends. It’s heartbreaking to go through. I was fully in love with her,” said Sandoval.
The “Everybody Loves Tom” podcast host also shared he disagreed with Leviss’ decision to release her podcast. Sandoval suggested he did not believe Leviss has shown accountability for her actions.
“I just think it’s a really bad look on her part to just keep pushing blame on everybody else. She’s a 29-year-old woman. You know what I mean? She’s not 16,” said Sandoval.
Ariana Madix Stated She Believes It Was the Correct Decision for Her Former Castmate to Exit ‘Vanderpump Rules’
While recording an August 2023 episode of her castmate Scheana Shay‘s podcast, “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay,” Madix stated that she believed Leviss made the correct choice by exiting “Vanderpump Rules.” She referenced that Leviss chose to work on her mental health at The Meadows after receiving backlash for her cheating scandal.
“I would argue that I think that’s the right decision. Especially if you are kind of struggling with your mental health. And how you are handling the fallout of what happened. And the actions and the consequences and all that. I, honestly, think that’s a wise decision,” stated Madix.