Meghan McCain is on Raquel Leviss’ side after the latter was bashed for her affair with Tom Sandoval during the bombshell “Vanderpump Rules” Season 10 reunion.
“This was TV gold. It was the kind of real-life car crash that any connoisseur of unscripted slop relishes,” the former “The View” co-host wrote in a Daily Mail essay published Wednesday.
“But somewhere along the way – something went terribly wrong. Tom and Raquel were smothered in hate – real hate.”
McCain, 38, then explained that as the scandal — dubbed Scandoval — played out in the media for months, she began to feel “more compassion” for Leviss than Ariana Madix, Sandoval’s ex-girlfriend, whom he cheated on.
The columnist admitted that Sandoval, 40, and Leviss, 28, “behaved terribly,” but she acknowledged that the former beauty queen “took responsibility for what she did” and “apologized profusely.”
“She was clearly suffering,” McCain wrote of Leviss, adding, “Raquel checked herself into a mental health facility and had been in hiding — until the reunion finale. The scene on the Bravo stage was nothing short of a bloodbath.”
The TV personality then dragged the “Pump Rules” cast for calling Leviss names like a “whore,” a “f–king psychopath” and a “diabolical, demented, disgusting, subhuman.” She also slammed Madix, 37, for telling Leviss to go f–k herself with a “cheese grater.”
n." >“It wasn’t enough,” McCain said of Leviss’ apology. “There was blood in the water and frenzy couldn’t be stopped.”
The political commentator did note, however, that Lisa Vanderpump “recognized the pile on” and “tried to stop it.”
“Reality television is meant to be escapism, not sadism. Yet that’s what this became,” she added. “Raquel was shaking and crying. And it all may have taken a terrifying toll.”
McCain also called out Andy Cohen for claiming that Leviss was “really medicated” throughout the reunion, noting how Madix and co-star Lala Kent have seemingly admitted to taking things too far since the show wrapped.
“This storyline needs to be resolved,” the mother of two wrote, adding that Bravo should be thanking Leviss for bringing “Vanderpump Rules” to the forefront of the zeitgeist.
“‘Scandoval’ brought the show and the network a degree of cultural significance that they have never achieved before,” she said.
“And from here now on out, they should proceed with a level of sensitivity that this debacle deserves. I, for one, want to watch how her story plays out.”
The Season 10 reunion was the first time the “Vanderpump Rules” cast was able to confront Sandoval and Leviss about their cheating scandal in a group setting.
Madix first discovered her longtime boyfriend cheated on her with her good friend after she found a sexually explicit video of the pageant contestant on the reality star’s phone on March 1. She later learned they had been hooking up for months.
Follow Pvnew’s coverage of ‘Scandoval‘
- Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss, Ariana Madix drama, explained
- How Ariana Madix found out about Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss’ affair
- Ariana Madix rips ‘subhuman’ Raquel, ‘rat’ Sandoval in ‘Pump Rules’ reunion trailer
The Something about Her sandwich shop owner immediately dumped Sandoval and the aftermath of the scandal continued to play out in front of cameras.
After Scandoval made headlines, Leviss checked into a mental health facility.
The former Miss California USA contestant and Sandoval claimed they were no longer together, though Madix didn’t think that was true.
Meanwhile, the Drink From Home founder has moved on with fitness trainer Daniel Wai.
The pair first sparked dating rumors at Coachella and were recently seen celebrating her birthday in New York City last weekend.
