ET exclusively reported Leviss was not returning to the hit Bravo show.
Lisa Vanderpump wishes Rachel Leviss would have chosen to return for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules to tell the world, in her own words, how she's doing, what her thoughts were and show "contrition."
Vanderpump and Alex Baskin, the executive producer of the hit Bravo series, appeared at an FYC event hosted by the Los Angeles Times, and shared that there had been some back-and-forth with Leviss about returning, though much of those "conversations" were taking place via e-mail and text messages.
"I'd like to have seen her sit down with me and also let the audience know where she was, how she was doing, what her thoughts were, how much contrition there was," said Vanderpump after someone in the audience asked for an update on Leviss. "And she kind of chose not to. She did, her team, did reach out to us to talk about coming back on emails and texts and we, of course, were open to it."
Vanderpump admitted she didn't know "whether the cast would necessarily be friendly" but added that she was adamant the cast had moved past the visceral reaction aimed at Leviss during the explosive three-part Vanderpump Rules reunion.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star also said she's been "emotionally invested" in Leviss, and had hoped to see her return to the show and see some personal growth.
@thetalkofshame Raquel Leviss called out Bravo and VPR in her interview with Bethenny Frankel and claimed she had no safe space or resources but in a Q&A with the LA Times the same day part 2 of Raquel’s interview was released, VPR executive producer Alex Baskin and Lisa Vanderpump claim otherwise.
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"I've always been a big supporter of her coming out of her, you know, she was kind of living within shackles of insecurity, so to speak," Vanderpump added.
Baskin insisted that the cast "felt for her" and "the visceral anger at the reunion was what [the cast] felt in that moment." He added, "I think they wish her well and they wish her healing [but] it doesn't mean that they're able to let her back in their lives."
Vanderpump then interjected and said the cast had "empathy" for Leviss, who after filming the reunion checked into a mental health treatment facility. Vanderpump said she had hoped Leviss' team would have seen the larger picture and what it would have meant to see her return to the show.
"That's what Vanderpump Rules is about, it's about kids that are growing up or struggle to grow up," she said. "And so many people relate to it because it's about making mistakes. Life is about making mistakes and coming back from it."
On Thursday, ET exclusively reported that Leviss was officially out with regard to filming season 11. The news comes after it was revealed earlier this year that Tom Sandoval was cheating on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with Leviss, which played out last season and quickly dubbed "Scandoval." The affair torpedoed Sandoval and Madix's long-term relationship.
In her extensive sit-down on Bethenny Frankel's podcast, Just B with Bethenny Frankel, the 28-year-old reality star said, among other things, that she had a "no-contact policy with every cast member."
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