Getty Scheana Shay
Raquel Leviss has been sharing her story in a three-part interview on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast “ReWives” and during the second part of the recording, opened up about her conflict with her former best friend Scheana Shay.
As “Vanderpump Rules” fans will recall, Leviss accused Shay of punching her the night that she learned of the months-long affair between Leviss and Tom Sandoval. Leviss ended up filing a temporary restraining order against Shay, who adamantly denied punching her co-star, though she admitted on “Watch What Happens Live” that she “shoved” her.
While speaking with Frankel, Leviss said it was “nuts” that Shay “doubled down on this narrative” that she made up the assault. “Scheana did physically assault me that night and I have a permanent scar on my eyebrow and at the moment I thought I deserved it, that’s why I just stood there and let it happen,” Leviss claimed. “She pushed me as hard as she could against a brick wall. The back of my head hit the wall pretty hard and then she socked me in the eye and I was in shock.”
“She threw my phone in the street and then called Ariana [Madix] from her phone and I immediately ran to my phone,” she continued. “I called Tom [Sandoval] immediately and I was like, Scheana just punched me in the face and he was like, ‘Oh I know, I heard her say to Ariana I just punched that b**** in her face and threw her phone in the street.'”
Leviss said filing a temporary restraining order was a move that made sense for her because she “didn’t feel safe” following that night, especially after Shay used a “punch emoji” in a post with Madix afterward. “It doesn’t make sense to me how I can be assaulted and still have so much vitriol [toward me],” she concluded.
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Raquel Leviss Denied Scheana Shay’s ‘Narrative’ About Their Friendship
Leviss addressed her friendships with her co-stars during the wide-ranging interview and said that while Shay had been one of her best friends, she wasn’t actually “best friends” with Madix. However, Leviss claimed that Shay had changed the narrative about their friendship.
She said Shay was spinning their friendship like she was an older sister or mother figure to Leviss which was false. She also pointed out that when she was living in Shay’s apartment, she was paying rent and cat-sitting for her.
“I also did her podcasts, and she said the one podcast that I did with her talking about my breakup with James was the No. 1 most listened to podcast,” she pointed out. “It’s just unfortunate that she’s trying to create this narrative that I’ve taken advantage of her when I feel like I did contribute in a way.”
Raquel Leviss Claimed That She & Ariana Madix Weren’t Really ‘Best Friends’
During the first part of Leviss’ interview with Frankel, the VPR star claimed that she wasn’t actually best friends with Madix and it was a false narrative. “It is more salacious that way,” she said.
Instead, Leviss said that she and Madix were “acquaintances” who developed a friendship because of the show. While she acknowledged that Madix was very kind to her and supportive, the two never became close and had the types of heart-to-heart conversations that she’d typically have with a best friend.
Leviss said she knew she “hurt” her co-star by having an affair with her boyfriend and it hurt to think about it but insisted that she hadn’t done it maliciously.
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