Rachel “Raquel” Leviss is not here for Lisa Vanderpump‘s response to her revenge porn lawsuit against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
“You may have heard in the news that I have filed a lawsuit, and it’s an ongoing lawsuit, so I can’t talk much about it at this point. But I am interested in having my attorneys on as a topic of conversation,” Leviss, 29, said on the Monday, March 11, episode of her “Rachel Goes Rogue” podcast. “But Lisa did comment on my lawsuit.”
After seeing how Vanderpump, 63, reacted to the news, Leviss defended her decision.
“I took a long time to really decide if I’m going to press charges or not. And I felt like it was important to bring this up,” Leviss noted. “This isn’t a criminal lawsuit. It’s just like a civil case. But my privacy was violated in a very intimate, unsuspecting way. And it is embarrassing and not something that I’m proud of at all.”
Us Weekly confirmed on March 1 that Leviss sued Sandoval, 41, and Madix, 38, for revenge porn, eavesdropping, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Leviss accused Sandoval of recording a private video call between them without her consent and claimed Madix acquired the NSFW footage, which she allegedly sent to herself and potentially to other people. (Madix previously denied watching or distributing the video in an August 2023 appearance on Vanderpump Rules costar Scheana Shay‘s podcast, “Scheananigans.”)
After Leviss’ lawsuit made headlines, Vanderpump called the legal filing “ridiculous,” telling TMZ, “I think if you don’t want to have somebody share your porn, then don’t send it to your best friend’s boyfriend, right?”
Vanderpump was informed by the reporter that Leviss didn’t know she was being recorded. “Oh, OK. Well I have to go.” She also weighed in on the claim that Madix sent the video around, adding, “She didn’t share it with me. Why did she leave me out? I don’t get it. … It’s all inappropriate.”
Leviss wasn’t thrilled to see how her former boss responded.
“Look, I know Lisa and I were never super, super tight in the same way she is with Tom. But it doesn’t feel good to have somebody speak out about this lawsuit and the situation that’s very sensitive,” Leviss continued. “To have her push out a certain type of story that isn’t anywhere near the truth of what has happened is very disappointing. And I would just hope that people don’t speak on it until they really understand what the lawsuit is and my reason for holding these people accountable.”
During the podcast, Leviss called Vanderpump’s comments “heartbreaking” after she worked for her at SUR and Vanderpump Dogs.
“It’s just a little heartbreaking to have somebody who you kind of look up to in a way because you have this idea of who somebody is, and admire them for being a boss,” she noted. “Seeing the way that she has turned on me, I know she has a lot of power, and I want to be firm in standing up for myself and pointing out like that it’s not OK to be talking about and spreading certain propaganda and straight up lies as a way to change the public’s perception of somebody.”
Leviss continued: “It’s messed up. Removing myself from the situation and looking at this as a statement that is pretty much victim shaming. … It’s one thing to be an advocate and advocate for mental health in general, but it’s another to twist and turn things to support one of your cast members who is a male and have the woman take the fall. It’s disappointing and it’s hurtful.”
Leviss has been on the outs with her Vanderpump Rules costars since news broke in March 2023 about her affair with Sandoval. Following his split from longtime girlfriend Madix, Sandoval and Leviss were largely ostracized by their castmates. Sandoval ultimately returned to address the drama during season 11 while Leviss decided to exit the show.
Since Leviss’ departure, Vanderpump has consistently argued that she should have returned to tell her side of the story. Leviss, however, explained on past episodes of her podcast that she didn’t think filming was the right move for her.
Us has reached out to Vanderpump for comment.
