With the ongoing litigation between Rachel Leviss, Ariana Madix, and Tom Sandoval, a new development has resulted from Leviss’ response to Lisa Vanderpump‘s recent remarks.
In a recent interview with TMZ, the Vanderpump Rules producer commented on Leviss’ lawsuit, in which she described the case as “ridiculous,” and implied that Leviss should have anticipated the long-term consequences that might result from sending explicit videos to her friend’s boyfriend.
However, Vadnerpump later clarified that she was unaware of Sandoval’s alleged recording of Leviss without her consent when she made those comments.
In response to Vanderpump’s remarks, Leviss discussed the issue on her Rachel Goes Rogue podcast. Although Leviss initially suspected Vanderpump hadn’t been fully informed of the situation, she later learned that Vanderpump may have deliberately made these statements to draw media attention. Vanderpump, Leviss said, strategically shaped the narrative to benefit her cast.
“Immediately, I was like, ‘Oh, she didn’t read the brief,'” Leviss said on the March 11 episode. “But then, you know, insiders told me like, ‘Oh no, she knows exactly what she’s doing.’ She’s saying this statement for the press to pick up this certain story.”
In her lawsuit filed in February, Leviss claims Sandoval filmed an intimate video without her consent, alleging eavesdropping, revenge porn, and invasion of privacy. Upon discovering the video, Madix ended her relationship with Sandoval, which triggered an escalating controversy, according to Leviss.
“It took a long time to really decide if I’m going to press charges or not. And I felt like it was important to to bring this up,” she explained. “My privacy was violated in a very intimate and unsuspecting way, and it is embarrassing and not something that I’m proud of at all. So to have her push out a certain type of story that isn’t anywhere near the truth of what has happened is very disappointing.”
In her podcast, Leviss clarified the incident, revealing that the video was recorded via FaceTime, and she was only made aware of it once it was forwarded to her. Vanderpump’s stance disappointed her, as it contradicted the truth of what happened and felt like “victim-shaming.”
“It’s going back like years and years, decades and decades of back when people would say, ‘Oh well she was wearing booty shorts. She was asking for it. Oh, she deserved it because she looked a certain way.’ It’s very, very icky,” Leviss said. “It doesn’t feel right.”
She added, “It’s one thing to be an advocate and advocate for [Sandoval’s] 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.”