Getty Raquel Leviss and Lala Kent.
“Vanderpump Rules” personality Ariana Madix and her boyfriend of nine years, Tom Sandoval, have ended their relationship. On March 3, TMZ reported that the couple broke up because he had “allegedly cheated with costar Raquel Leviss.” A few days before the reports of Sandoval’s cheating scandal began circulating, Leviss appeared on Page Six’s “Virtual Reality-Tea” podcast, alongside Scheana Shay. In the interview, Leviss acknowledged she kissed “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Garcelle Beauvais’ eldest child, Oliver Saunders, during the production of “Vanderpump Rules” season 10, episode 5. According to Us Weekly, Oliver was still in a relationship with his estranged wife, Samantha Saunders, when the encounter occurred. In a September 2022 Instagram Story, Samantha, the mother of Oliver’s child, Oliver Jr., asserted that the 32-year-old was “cheating publicly with Raquel on camera only for fame.” Page Six reported the father of one “filed to end his marriage” in September 2022.
In the “Virtual Reali-Tea” interview, Leviss asserted that she believed the 32-year-old “was single” before they shared a kiss. She explained that her castmate Lala Kent’s attraction to the Vanderpump à Paris employee was one of the reasons she thought he had separated from Samantha.
“Lala mentioned meeting him at the Vanderpump [à] Paris opening and she was saying like she was kind of into him and, like, that made me think that he was single,” said the 28-year-old.
Leviss also claimed that Oliver “said point blank ‘I’m separated from my wife.”
Scheana Shay Revealed That Lala Kent Was Suspicious of Oliver Saunders
During the “Virtual Reali-Tea” interview, Leviss shared that Kent “gave [her] the green light” to pursue Oliver. Shay clarified, however, that the “4 U” singer was suspicious of the 32-year-old’s situation with his then-wife. The “Jonas” actress referenced that Kent has claimed she was unaware that her ex-fiance, Randall Emmett, was married to his ex-wife Ambyr Childers when they began dating in 2015.
“For her, as someone who has been in this position before, that was an immediate red flag for her. She was like ‘alright girl you can have him,’” said Shay.
The “Good As Gold” singer also asserted that Leviss should not be blamed for her encounter with Oliver.
“She got put in such a bad position and that was not her fault at all, and I’m so over everyone blaming the woman because she didn’t do anything wrong intentionally, she did not know,” asserted Shay.
A Source Claims Scheana Shay Had a ‘Heated’ Encounter With Raquel Leviss
While Shay came to Leviss’ defense for kissing Oliver, Page Six reported that she was unhappy with her “Vanderpump Rules” co-star after she became aware of her involvement with Sandoval. According to the publication, a source claimed that the pair “went out to drinks with friends” after being interviewed by Andy Cohen for the March 1 episode of “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.” The insider stated that Leviss was “on the phone” with Madix during the night out.
“At one point in the night, Scheana lost Raquel and then found her outside of the bar on the phone with Ariana, who Scheana could hear was bawling,” said the source.
The source also claimed that Leviss disclosed to Shay that she was romantically involved with Sandoval, which led to “a heated confrontation.”
Raquel Leviss Claimed She Was ‘Physically Assaulted’
TMZ reported that Leviss “filed for [a] restraining order against Scheana, which the judge granted” on March 8 because of an interaction the co-stars had on March 2. According to the publication, the 28-year-old alleged that the “Good As Gold” singer “shoved Raquel against a brick wall and punched her in her left eye” because of her and Sandoval’s relationship.
On March 8, Leviss took to Instagram to address the situation regarding Madix and Sandoval. In the post, she asserted that she “deeply regret[s] hurting Ariana” and revealed that she is “speaking to a counselor.” The 28-year-old also claimed that she was “physically assaulted, lost friendships, received death threats and hate emails in addition to having had privacy violated” since Madix and Sandoval’s breakup became public knowledge.