The Big Picture
- Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss finally makes it clear where she stands with fellow cast member Tom Sandoval, blocking him on social media.
- Some fans are happy with Leviss’ actions, applauding her for distancing herself from Sandoval and rooting for her.
- However, the majority of fans believe Leviss’ change of heart is too little, too late, and are hesitant to forgive her for her past actions.
Vanderpump Rules fans turned against Raquel Leviss when the reality TV star’s torrid affair with fellow cast member Tom Sandoval was exposed in March. Finally, after months of keeping quiet and giving ambiguous answers, Leviss has finally made it crystal clear where she stands with the bar owner in a cheeky Instagram post. Some Bravo fans loved that Leviss is seemingly distancing herself from Sandoval, but others say it’s not enough to redeem her in the public eye. Is Leviss giving VPR fans too little, too late, or could she still make a comeback and be embraced once again by the public?
Leviss first appeared on Vanderpump Rules in season 5, as main cast member James Kennedy’s long-distance girlfriend. By season 9 of the Emmy-nominated show, she became a main cast member herself, earning a reputation as a “Bambi-eyed bitch” (per Lala Kent) for her doe-like innocence and naïveté. These exact characteristics made her months-long secret affair with another cast member, Sandoval, all the more shocking – although she had broken off her engagement with Kennedy by the time the entanglement started, she was still close friends with Sandoval’s partner of nine years, Ariana Madix.
Since the Scandoval went public in March, Leviss has mostly remained out of the public eye, except for an ill-advised TMZ interview, being photographed spending the night with Sandoval, and appearing on the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion (where she was verbally eviscerated by her castmates). Days after the news of the affair broke, Leviss posted an apology on Instagram, directing her remorse toward her friends, fans, and Madix. She followed up that initial apology with another Instagram post saying she wasn’t going to label her relationship with Sandoval as she continued to work on herself and heal. Leviss has since deleted both posts from her social media.
In August, former The Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel released a three-part interview with Leviss on her podcast Just B with Bethenny Frankel. Leviss refrained from commenting much on her relationship with Sandoval, other than saying she had a “no-contact policy” with all Vanderpump Rules cast members. She also alleged that Sandoval made a sexual recording of her without her knowledge or consent. Leviss said she brought up the recording in a conversation with Sandoval filmed for the VPR season 10 finale, and claimed that he had the producers remove the footage.
Recently, Leviss made it clearer than ever where she stands with the bar owner/band leader. On Sept. 9, she shared a video of herself at a flower farm on Instagram and captioned it, “I’ve been dreaming of a place like this 🌻 #flowerfarm #flowerarranging.” She also updated her bio to read, “Healing Era 🌷🌱🌸✨.” On Sept. 12, Leviss’ 29th birthday, Sandoval left a (now deleted) comment on the post. According to People, the 41-year-old wrote, “Happy Birthday, Rachel, I really hope ur finding peace and happiness. Miss u friend.”
Leviss did not appreciate the public comment. She posted a screenshot of Sandoval’s account to her Instagram Stories, showing that she had blocked him. Leviss added a pink emoji that said, “ok bye!” on top of the screenshot, making it clear that there is no love lost between the two VPR stars.
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Fans Aren’t Eager to Forgive Raquel Leviss
Fans were quick to notice Leviss’ reaction, and they had mixed feelings about the gesture. Most of the comments on her flower farm Instagram post questioned her motives for posting it in the first place. “It’s giving ‘I’m pretending to be a good girl who has healed and is the real victim,'” wrote one commenter. Another said, “Her PR team is working real hard to get her back on the innocent train 😭🤣.”
Some fans are happy that Leviss has flipped on Sandoval. They discussed the Instagram exchange in a Reddit thread titled “She blocked him,” including the screenshot Leviss shared on social media. “You know what? This is the most I’ve liked her in years,” reads the top comment. “Never thought I’d give her an inch of respect…but here we are,” wrote another commenter. “It’s only an inch but it’s something!” “Maybe it’s just my disdain for Sandy but I gotta say I’m rooting for her now,” said another fan, while one wrote, “Good for her. For once, she made the right move!!” It’s fair to say that some Bravo fans are prepared to give Leviss another chance, as long as she stays away from Sandoval.
The majority, however, think Leviss’ change of heart is too little, too late. It took her over six months to clarify that she is no longer interested in any sort of relationship with her affair partner. Leviss only blocked Sandoval on social media after the Schwartz and Sandy’s co-owner was photographed holding hands with another woman. According to TMZ, the mystery woman is singer-songwriter Tii, and she left a West Hollywood bar with Sandoval at 2:00 a.m. Between Sandoval entertaining a romance with another woman and very publicly calling Leviss just a “friend” on her birthday, fans speculated that she may have blocked him out of spite rather than truly acknowledging the harm their affair caused.
They discussed Leviss’ reaction further in another Reddit post. “Still strange why he wasn’t blocked in the first place 🥱,” one commenter wrote, and another said, “Yeah too little too late for me… who cares she does this NOW after sooo much time.” Others guessed that Leviss blocked Sandoval out of jealousy with comments like, “She probably thought they were still dating until she saw him holding hands in pics with his other pretty young thing.”
Although Leviss made progress with some fans by denouncing her relationship with Sandoval, most aren’t ready to forgive the Vanderpump Rules star. It’s unclear what she would have to do to redeem herself in the public eye, but waiting six months to distance herself from her affair partner didn’t seem to help much. One thing is for certain: Leviss will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules, or any reality TV show, for that matter. In the third episode of her podcast interview with Frankel, the former RHOBH star asked Leviss if she would go back to reality TV. “Oh, hell no,” Leviss responded. “I refuse to not respect myself on that level where I would endure that emotional abuse any longer. I can’t do that to myself.” VPR fans will be waiting to see what Leviss does next, even if she’s not on Bravo.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
