Raquel Leviss Stephanie Augello/Shutterstock
Raquel Leviss is talking out for the primary time because the Vanderpump Guidelines season 10 reunion, telling Bethenny Frankel that she has lastly “come to the place” the place her actions — having an affair with costar Tom Sandoval — make “sense” to her.
“A part of the explanation why I needed to take a while away is simply because it was so chaotic and loud and there was such vitriol on-line. However then the opposite a part of the explanation why I needed to go to a remedy facility was to know my behaviors,” Leviss started on iHeartRadio’s “ReWives” podcast on Wednesday, August 16. “And my objective was to essentially get all the way down to the underside of, ‘OK, why am I selecting males which can be unavailable? Why do I maintain discovering myself in unhealthy relationships? What are the issues that I want to vary about my conduct?’ And in understanding that I wanted to make a change, I first needed to know what it was that results in these behaviors.”
As Bravo followers know, Leviss and Sandoval’s months-long romance led to the tip of his nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix when she found the infidelity in March.
“It took me some time to simply accept, however I realized about love habit and it’s an actual factor. It’s the place you confuse depth for intimacy,” Leviss informed Frankel. “And people chemical modifications within the mind are the identical chemical modifications that occur once you take medicine. So it’s addictive, and it explains why I couldn’t cease seeing this particular person, but it surely additionally doesn’t excuse the truth that it occurred. However now I do know higher.”
Leviss’ look on the podcast marks her first time talking out since she accomplished psychological well being remedy in Arizona. Leviss informed Frankel that she opted to talk along with her as a result of she’s utilizing “her case for example of exploitation” on this planet of actuality TV. (In mild of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Frankel has additionally been outspoken about how actuality TV stars additionally don’t get royalties.)
“[The backlash] appeared disproportionate to me,” Frankel informed Leviss. “I used to be watching clips on social media and listening to about this Scandoval — that had a reputation, was being marketed and it was being pumped by the PR machine. And I did say … ‘All people’s gonna be extra well-known than they had been earlier than due to this.’ And my thoughts was, ‘They’re on a actuality present. It’s set in a bar, is what I believe. It’s fueled by alcohol and partying and a number of affairs. So what respectfully, what the hell is the massive deal that everybody’s speaking about?’ … And I mentioned your title simply for example of what I imagined to be any person who had been exploited. And for the remainder of your life, that content material will likely be on the market with out compensation.”
Leviss agreed with Frankel, calling herself a “punching bag.”
“Actuality TV — it’s edited. It’s contrived to create a sure story line. And so it’s not all factual,” she claimed. “In order a viewer tuning in, it’s straightforward to get wrapped up in that. After which the idea of an affair hits residence, hits actually onerous to lots of people. So I believe there was a number of projection occurring.”
Leviss went on to say that the community has been “laughing” and “working to the financial institution” to revenue off of the success of Vanderpump Guidelines in mild of the scandal. (The long-running present acquired its first two Emmy nominations earlier this summer time.)
“I haven’t seen a single penny. … It’s not truthful. And I really feel like a toddler saying, ‘It’s not truthful.’ Nevertheless it actually isn’t,” she mentioned. “And I really feel like I’ve been portrayed as the last word villain. My errors that I’ve made on digicam stay on without end. And also you talked about one thing in regards to the habit of doing actuality TV and the best way that they all the time dangle that carrot in entrance of you, like, ‘Effectively, you have to inform your aspect of the story in any other case it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So I virtually went again, I do know simply due to that.”
Whereas Leviss didn’t develop on her “virtually went again” comment, she’s seemingly confirming that she gained’t seem on season 11 of Vanderpump Guidelines, which is at the moment in manufacturing. Us Weekly beforehand reported that she hadn’t signed a contract, however the community wasn’t giving up hope about her making an look.
