Heavy/NBCUniversal Raquel Leviss.
Raquel Leviss is not returning to “Vanderpump Rules,” but she does have a new career plan in the works.
The former Bravo star spoke out during an August 2023 interview on Bethenny Frankel’s “Just B With Bethenny” podcast to confirm she has no interest in ever going back to reality TV after her world was turned upside down following an affair with her former costar Tom Sandoval.
On August 16, 2023, a Bravo spokesperson told Entertainment Tonight that Leviss “will not be returning to “Vanderpump Rules” as she focuses on her mental health journey. But Leviss also told Frankel that she is working on launching her own podcast.
Here’s what you need to know:
Raquel Leviss Wants to Host a Podcast to Delve Into the Psychology of Being ‘The Other Woman’
BravoTom Sandoval with Raquel Leviss and Ariana Madix.
While speaking on Frankel’s podcast, Leviss, 28, said she plans to launch a podcast focused on what she believes is an “untapped” market.
After she was caught having an affair with Sandoval, the boyfriend of her friend and costar Ariana Madix, Leviss took the brunt of viewer hate. She told Frankel she thinks the fallout from the affair could make for an interesting podcast topic.
“I really am impassioned about learning about myself and the psychology behind all of this, and I am taking the steps to start my own podcast,” the former beauty pageant queen said. “I feel like it would be a great way to share my side of the story and bring on experts that really understand the psychology behind it.”
“I feel like this is the area that’s untapped because nobody really wants to talk about being the other woman,” Leviss added. “And for as many people that are hurt by this affair there’s equally that many people that’s been [the mistress].”
Leviss, who has been staying with her family in Arizona after seeking mental health treatment, according to Page Six, did not confirm a timeline or where she will be based once she starts her podcast.
“I’m going to be traveling around,” she said. “I’m not heading back to LA anytime soon. So I have some plans to check out different states and different areas. So it’s unwritten at this point, but I’m excited to start this new chapter in my life.”
Raquel Leviss Was Previously Working Toward a Career in Kinesiology
Leviss had been one of the only “Vanderpump Rules” stars to actually still work at Sur, the West Hollywood restaurant owned by Lisa Vanderpump that serves as the focal point of the show.
In January 2022, Leviss told the “Scheananigans” podcast that she was ”kind of over” working at the restaurant.
“It’s a lot of work and when you’re on heels the whole time, it’s just draining, and the fact that they changed the entire menu,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Guys, I don’t want to relearn the menu. I just got comfortable naming everything on the menu. I told them, ‘Don’t schedule me until after the holidays.’ So I have a break.”
Before she got into reality TV, Leviss aimed for a career in the kinesiology field. She received her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a focus on pre-occupational therapy from Sonoma State University. In 2020, she told The Daily Dish she was considering graduate schools.
“I think I’m gonna start applying very, very soon,” she said at the time. “I still have to take the GRE. I do have to study for that exam. And then I’ll start applying to schools.”
At the time, Leviss said she wanted to stay in California.
As for what she hoped to do with her degree, Leviss previously told a fan on Twitter, “I’m going to become an Occupational Therapist specializing in pediatrics to work with kids with disabilities.”
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