Raquel Leviss is not returning to Vanderpump Rules season 11 for a multitude of reasons.
After months of speculation regarding the SURver’s status on the Bravo show, Lisa Vanderpump confirmed the news on Thursday, August 17, saying “there’s no point” for Raquel to return.
“When she was in the facility, her team texted and emailed us. We wanted to make sure she was in a good place first and I was going to do a one-on-one with her,” Lisa, 62, told TMZ, referring to Raquel’s 90-day stint in a mental health facility “She talked about [returning]. Her team reached out. But in the end, I think she decided not to.”
Raquel, 28, has since confirmed that Lisa had reached out for a conversation.
“She didn’t ask me how I was; she didn’t ask me what I’ve been dealing with since the last time she saw me at the reunion,” Raquel told Bethenny Frankel on part 3 of her iHeartRadio’s “ReWives” podcast appearance, which was released on Friday, August 18. “She almost got me back because I did want to share my side of the story like we talked about.”
Us Weekly previously reported that Raquel had not yet signed a contract to return as Vanderpump Rules season 11 started filming earlier this summer. During part 1 of their interview, Raquel told Bethenny that she “almost went back.”
Lisa, for her part, went on to say the cast doesn’t “really believe anything she says,” so it didn’t matter if Raquel came back on the show or not. She added that the series was “successful before her.”
Raquel told Bethenny, however, that her decision came down to salary negotiations. She alleged that Bravo refused to pay her “equally” to Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
“I asked for equal pay with Tom and Ariana and for them to reimburse me for my treatment expenses,” Raquel alleged. “They refused to pay me equally.”
She added, “I feel like when you pay your employees, it really shows how much you value them.”
Bravo rarely comments on salaries, but it’s been reported that the network’s stars make more money the longer they are on their respective series. While Sandoval is an OG, Ariana joined the cast during season 2. Raquel, meanwhile, started making appearances on season 5 and became a full-time cast member on season 9. LVP told TMZ earlier this week that she believes Raquel was paid $361,000 for season 10.
Raquel, Tom, 41, and Ariana, 38, were the focal point of Vanderpump Rules season 10 after the aptly dubbed Scandoval news broke in March. It was revealed at the time that Raquel and Tom were having a months-long affair amid his nine-year relationship with Ariana.
Raquel went on to tell Bethenny that “of course they want me back” on the show but knows that nothing good would come of it, noting that she has “a no contact policy with every single cast member.”
After filming on season 10 concluded, Raquel cut off contact with her castmates and completed mental health treatment in Arizona. She has since “come to the place” where she can make “sense” of her actions regarding the affair. Instead of returning to reality TV, Raquel said there are “different options” for her and wants to put more focus on the “good that I can do,” teasing an upcoming podcast that she has in the works.
“I know that other people on the cast are more important than I am. So, I don’t even think that I would get a redemption arc to be honest,” Raquel said. “I also know that I wouldn’t be able to share all of my story. Whatever I share gets condensed to five minutes max.”
