Vanderpump Rules alum Raquel Leviss speaks her truth: Major revelations 

Vanderpump Rules has been one of the most talked about reality shows since the news of Tom Sandoval and Raquel (Rachel) Leviss' affair broke out. In March 2023, Ariana Madix was attending one of Tom Sandoval's concerts when someone handed her his phone.

During the season finale of the Bravo show, Ariana recalled how in that moment, she knew that she had to look at it. When she opened Tom's phone, she found an intimate video of Raquel in it.

Ariana and Tom were in a relationship for over 9 years at the time, and in the four seasons that Raquel had been on the show, she had developed a close friendship with Ariana, along with some of the other cast members. After the news of Sandoval's affair became public, the Vanderpump Rules cast and fans turned their back on both the parties involved and have actively bashed them online.

Raquel was in a mental health facility for the past few months and only recently returned, but even this spurred controversy when reports of her dog Graham being left at a shelter came to light.

However, the reality star had never shared her side of the story, until now. She recently sat down for an interview with Bethenny Frankel where she spoke of all things Scandoval and Bravo.

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Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss' reveals her side of the story

While in an interview with Bethenny Frankel, the Vanderpump Rules cast member opened up about where she stands with Tom Sandoval now, her relationship with Ariana Madix, and her future on the show.

"We were acquaintances"

During a recent interview, Raquel Leviss opened up about her relationship with Ariana Madix and noted that they were just acquaintances.

"We never had a deep conversation that I would have with a best friend," she said.

The Vanderpump Rules alum noted that she does not expect Ariana to forgive her and that she is remorseful of her actions. She also noted that she recognizes that she caused Ariana a lot of pain.

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"I'm really just trying to come back to my roots"

During the interview with Bethenny Frankel, Raquel Leviss opened up about her decision to change her name back to Rachel. She added that when she was in the 1st grade, a few girls had the same name and she wanted to stand out.

She opened up about going by Rachel again and added that she was just trying to come back to her roots by doing this.

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"Recorded without my consent"

Rachel (Raquel) opened up about the infamous FaceTime video that Ariana found on Tom Sandoval's phone and noted that she didn't know that she was being recorded. She added that she was watching the adult section on television when she Facetimed Tom, and it turned into "something more" of an intimate Facetime.

She added that she only came to know about the video when Ariana texted her saying that she was dead to the Vanderpump Rules star.

"That’s how I knew that she knew. And then also, that’s how I found out that I had been recorded without my consent, so of course all of these emotions came flooding over me."

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"Portrayed as the ultimate villain"

Raquel chimed in about reality television and general and noted that although it's called "reality TV," it's often times edited to create a certain storyline. The Vanderpump Rules alum noted that she understands why the affair hit "really hard" for a lot of people, adding that there was "a lot of projection happening."

She opened up about the money that the show has made since the affair and added that she hasn't seen a single penny.

"It’s not fair.’ But it really isn’t. And I feel like I’ve been portrayed as the ultimate villain. My mistakes that I’ve made on camera live on forever."

She also said that she "almost went back" because they (the network) always dangle the "addiction of doing reality TV in front of you."

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Vanderpump Rules is currently filming season 11, which will showcase the aftermath of the affair and what it means for the friend group that has been on television for years.