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Vanderpump Rules has always promised lots of juicy drama. But the current legal issues and violations of privacy are over-the-top, even for such a salacious show. The RHOBH spinoff focuses on Lisa Vanderpump and those who staff her bars and restaurants. 

For the last several months, two of VPR‘s stars, Tom Sandoval and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, have made headlines for a NSFW video that’s allegedly been seen by more people than intended. What’s going on, and why does Leviss think her cease and desist letter might not be the end of the scandal? 

Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss video

Leviss was first spotted on Vanderpump Rules as a guest in 2016. By 2021, she climbed into the position of season regular. The reality series portrayed Leviss as a close friend with fellow cast member Ariana Madix.

While Leviss insists the closeness of the friendship was played up for TV, the appearance of their bond heightened a scandal as rumors swirled that Leviss was having an affair with Madix’s then-long-time-boyfriend Tom Sandoval. 

According to Us Magazine, Sandoval and Leviss first hooked up at an August 2022 wedding. Sandoval claimed to have delayed ending things with Madix because of concerns about their joint mental health and business partnerships. So when the affair became public knowledge, it scandalized Madix and her fans. 

In the aftermath, Leviss, perhaps in an attempt to regain some credibility with the public, made a confession that laid out details about the affair. She admitted she slept with Sandoval in the house he shared with Madix while his girlfriend was out of town for a funeral. 

To make matters more sordid, knowledge of the affair came about because Madix discovered a NSFW video of Leviss masturbating on a FaceTime call with Sandoval. Speaking with Bethenny Frankel on her podcast Just B With Bethenny, Leviss explained, “I decided to be adventurous and look at the adult section on the TV, and Tom and I FaceTimed a lot, so it turned into something more of an intimate FaceTime. I expected to have privacy in that moment, so that happened.” 

‘A lot’ of people have seen the Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss video despite cease

In her conversation with Frankel, Leviss shared how she worried about a leak. When Madix found the video, she confronted Leviss. Leviss explained to Frankel, “Because she had that video I was scared for, you know, I was scared that it was gonna be leaked.”

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Since Sandoval filmed her without her consent, Leviss felt extra violated by the sharing of the video. She explained, “It seems to be that a lot of people have seen it despite my immediate cease and desist letter that went out. She, some of Ariana’s friends, have described the video in great detail online and she also sent it to me, so, I don’t know who else she sent it to. I wouldn’t be surprised if she sent it to other people. But it’s not legal.”

Raquel Leviss’ parents

Following the public scandal, Leviss struggled and received the support of her parents to help her cope. Leviss is close with her parents, and they helped her to secure treatment at a mental health facility in Arizona. 

In the podcast, Leviss explained, “My mom is a little bit, she’s a mama bear. She’s very torn up about this situation.” Leviss also says she knew she needed help:

“I wanted to go to a treatment facility to understand my behaviors. And my goal was to really get down to the bottom of, ‘Okay, why am I choosing men that are unavailable? Why do I keep finding myself in unhealthy relationships? What are the things that I need to change about my behavior?’ And in knowing that I needed to make a change, I first had to know what it was that leads to those behaviors.”

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