Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss’ public image was destroyed after Scandoval and she didn’t return on Season 11. Here’s everything you need to know about the former Vanderpump Rules star.
The Vanderpump Rules Season 10 cheating scandal, also known as Scandoval, broke the internet in 2023.
Tom Sandoval wrecked his 9-year-long relationship with Ariana Madix when he cheated on her with her best friend and co-star, Raquel.
The entire Season 10 revolved around the cheating scandal, and Tom and Ariana were featured again on Season 11 — however, Raquel had left the show.
What happened to Raquel after Scandoval?
Out of the three involved in the scandal, Raquel was ostracized the most by both Vanderpump fans and her co-stars.
Scandoval jeopardized Raquel’s celebrity status, and to salvage her tarnished image, she changed her name back to her legal name ‘Rachel’.
She also started going to therapy to cope with all the hate she was receiving and to reflect on what she had done. She opened up to Entertainment Tonight about checking into a mental health facility in Arizona.
She said, “I am reflecting on my choices, speaking to a counselor and I am learning things about myself such as my patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved.”
In November 2023, she announced the launch of her new podcast series ‘Rachel goes Rogue’ on her Instagram where she focused on telling her side of the story in Scandoval.
Rachel filed a lawsuit against Tom and Ariana
Rachel’s affair with Tom may have cost her considerably more as both reality stars were brought into public scrutiny.
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Former Publicist, Amir Yass, gave insights on Scandoval to Showbiz and called Rachel’s situation a ‘PR nightmare’. He said, “A man who cheats is never going to be canceled. If Ariana had cheated with another cast member, she would be canceled. So misogyny is very alive and kicking.”
He also mentioned that her not returning on Season 11 could be because the production team fired her. He said, “Because you’re going to lose everything. They’re going to fire you. If Ariana says I’m not gonna film with Raquel, then they’re going to fire her.”
After the Scandal, Tom appeared on VPR Season 11 along with The Masked Singer and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. In contrast, Rachel stopped appearing on camera for a while and checked into a mental health facility.
According to Deadline, the charges in Rachel’s lawsuit included “revenge porn, eavesdropping, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
She revealed that Tom had made unconsented sexually explicit recordings of her, and Ariana “distributed, disseminated, and discussed” them publicly disregarding Rachel’s privacy. Furthermore, Rachel sued Ariana for defamation, considering how the reality star capitalized on the scandal and Rachel’s fallout.
Rachel’s feud with Lisa Vanderpump began when Lisa commented negatively about Rachel initiating the lawsuit.
Rachel was not part of Vanderpump Rules Season 11, but as it aired, she expressed feeling victim-shamed by Lisa Vanderpump on an episode of ‘Rachel Goes Rogue’.
Will Rachel return to Vanderpump Rules?
Rachel’s reality star status was dimmed out after the scandal and she lost the trust and friendship of some of her co-stars on Vanderpump Rules.
The lawsuit further strained her relationship with Lisa Vanderpump and the production team. After all that, her return to Vanderpump Rules could be highly unlikely.