“Vanderpump Rules” star Raquel Leviss has reportedly left the mental health facility she checked into after the eruption of the so-called Scandoval affair last spring. And she’s making some major changes, including going back to using her birth name, Rachel.
The Bravo reality star left the Meadows in Arizona about two weeks ago after racking up a $200,000 bill while undergoing intensive therapy there for two months, TMZ reported Friday. A representative for Leviss did not immediately respond Friday to The Times’ requests for confirmation.
Leviss, 28, reportedly checked into the facility after taping the bombshell three-part “Vanderpump Rules” reunion in late March — but had planned to undergo treatment prior to the discovery of her affair with co-star and TomTom restaurateur Tom Sandoval. Their illicit romance, long suspected among their co-stars, upended Sandoval’s nearly nine-year relationship with Leviss’ friend and confidante Ariana Madix as cameras were rolling on Season 10 of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” spinoff series.
“I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships. I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices,” Leviss said in an early March statement posted on Instagram.
Despite willingly partaking in a reality TV series, Leviss said that her privacy had been violated as a result and that she had been physically assaulted, lost friendships and received death threats and hate emails. But, she added, she did not “expect sympathy, understanding or forgiveness” and planned to learn from her mistakes as she worked on her mental health.
The former SUR waitress and pageant queen underwent “mental health and trauma therapy” — not rehab — in the wake of the public outcry over Scandoval, TMZ said. She has apologized for her actions on social media, to Madix directly, on the reality series and during the reunion. At the reunion, which aired in late May and early June, she revealed that she had been lying about her and Sandoval’s relationship timeline at his behest.
Tom Sandoval, left, Tom Schwartz and Raquel Leviss on their show’s reunion special.
(Nicole Weingart / Bravo)
Since leaving the facility, Leviss has been “holed up in a friend’s house, and is uneasy about venturing out,” TMZ reported, with a source telling the site that she is “like a totally different person.”
As for the name change, it comes in response to critics and viewers weaponizing her birth name during the scandal fallout. TMZ also reported Friday that Leviss’ decision to take back her given name will help neutralize people using it against her.
You’ll recall that in early March Leviss filed for a temporary restraining order against Madix’s bestie Scheana Shay after Shay allegedly threw a cellphone at her during a post-Scandoval altercation. The court documents filed in Los Angeles indicated that Leviss’ first name is Rachel not Raquel. (Raquel is a nickname given to her at a young age.)
“We obviously recognize mental health is an important issue and wish Rachel all the best in her recovery, but we’d also like her to own up to her false allegations and publicly come out and acknowledge that she lied,” Shay’s lawyer told The Times in an April statement.
According to legal documents obtained by The Times, a judge dismissed Leviss’ temporary restraining order against Shay, 37, in late March after Leviss failed to appear in court for a hearing. But the order had remained in place while the reunion was being filmed and disrupted the usual way Bravo shoots its explosive debriefing episodes. Shay and Leviss wound up seated in separate locations during the shoot: One woman at a time could join the rest of the cast onstage during the emotional sit-down while the other could only observe it from a trailer.
The dramatic season earned “Vanderpump Rules” two Primetime Emmy Award nominations on Thursday, the first in the docuseries’ 10-season run. Madix, who has emerged as a hero in the wake of Scandoval but reportedly still lives in Valley Village with her ex, has landed several brand deals and a spot on the upcoming season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
Cameras have begun rolling on Season 11 of “Rules” without Leviss, who is still in negotiations with Bravo about her involvement in the upcoming season. Sources close to the reality star told TMZ that her mental health remains paramount.
Representatives for Bravo declined to comment Friday when reached by The Times.