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Raquel Leviss addressed why she’s suing Ariana Madix, called her actions “illegal,” and shaded Vanderpump Rules for continuing to bring her up as a “storyline.”
Raquel recently claimed ex Tom Sandoval screen-recorded an intimate video of her amid their affair, while he was still in a relationship with Ariana. Raquel is suing Tom for allegedly recording the video without her consent, and she’s suing Ariana for allegedly distributing it.
On her Rachel Goes Rogue podcast, the star addressed her lawsuit against Ariana.
“Choosing to take legal action was not something that I chose lightly,” she explained. “I really had to weigh all of the pros and cons, and one of the cons was [the] public’s reaction to it. I saw this coming, and that’s just something that I had to debate and realize that if I want to seek legal action against Tom, then I also have to seek legal action against Ariana.”
She went on to say, “What I did was not morally right, but recording and distributing a video is also not right. So you know, there are two separate instances. One is illegal. So that’s hard.”
Raquel explained she feels “guilty” for potentially causing more pain.
“But then I also take a look at like what I’ve been through, and I’ve been through a lot, and I just don’t think that it’s right or fair or just,” she added. “If we’re all out to hold each other accountable, then I guess I’m doing the same.”
The star then addressed the criticism that she’s continuing to discuss Pump Rules.
“I would like to stay away from Vanderpump Rules. Unfortunately, this show is still bringing me up as a topic of discussion and as a storyline point,” she said. “So it’s only natural for me to want to not only defend myself, but share my experience with this because there’s more to the story just than this black and white, ‘This is a villain, this is a hero, and that’s it.’ It’s way more nuanced than that.”
Though she chose to stop being an “active participant” on the show, Raquel said the series is “bringing me in involuntarily.”
“I have no choice what they say about me,” she explained. “But with time, I will be removed from Vanderpump Rules. And I honestly don’t feel like I am missing the cast members of Vanderpump Rules. I think I’m sharing things honestly and being reflective of my relationships that I’ve had with certain people from more of a healed place.”
“Having my own podcast is part of what makes me feel so empowered today, that I get to reclaim my narrative,” she added. “I get to — as much as possible — take away, you know, Vanderpump Rules’ power to create whatever narrative they want about me, which they’re doing anyway … I feel like it’s very unrealistic to expect somebody to completely disconnect and disassociate from [something] that has been so integral into their development of who they are today.”
Live Viewing Thread – This is also the live viewing thread for tonight’s new episode of Vanderpump Rules season 11, which airs at 8/7c on Bravo. Feel free to comment and chat below as the episode airs!
