Raquel Leviss is blaming Bravo for her decision to not return to Season 11 of “Vanderpump Rules.”
The reality star claims the network allegedly would not pay her the same amount of money as they gave veteran stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
According to Leviss, she “considered” coming back to the hit Bravo show post-Scandoval – but only if she would be equally compensated for helping the ratings skyrocket for her affair with Madix’s then-boyfriend.
“I asked for equal pay with Tom and Ariana,” she said on Friday’s episode of Bethenny Frankel’s podcast, “Just B.”
“I was considering going back if I was going to be paid equally.”
The former beauty pageant contestant added that she felt like a certain monetary amount would make her feel like the network “value[d]“ her.
However, a source close to “Vanderpump Rules” tells Pvnew that the cast is “paid by season – not by storylines.”
Notably, Sandoval, 41, has starred on the show since Season 1 in 2013, and Madix, 38, became a main cast member the following season. On the other hand, Leviss, 28, made guest appearances on Season 5 as James Kennedy’s girlfriend before scoring a main credit the following year.
The insider explained that Leviss – who reportedly made over $350,000 last season with her $20,000 per episode contract – would have gotten an increase that would have resulted in nearly “half a million dollars” depending on how many episodes with her in it made up a season.
“Nowhere in anyone’s ‘Vanderpump Rules’ contract does it say they’re paid by storyline, and this is something Bethenny would be very familiar with considering she’s been on the network a very long time,” the source told us, referring to Frankel’s experience on “The Real Housewives of New York City.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Leviss also claimed that Bravo would not “reimburse” her for her 90-day stay at a mental health facility that cost a whopping $200,000.
“Unfortunately, I asked for my tuition, I guess, to be covered for my treatment, and they refused to pay for it. I have a theory that is because if they paid for it, they would admit to this liability,” she claimed.
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 former Bravolebrity confirmed that her stay at the treatment center helped her decide that she would not be returning to the upcoming season.
“Hell no [I’m not coming back], because I refuse to not respect myself on that level where I would endure that emotional abuse any longer, and I can’t do that to myself,” she told Frankel.
Leviss claimed that “of course they wanted me back,” but she knew that “other people on the cast are more important than I am, so I don’t even think that I would get a redemption ark.”
“I also know that I wouldn’t be able to share all of my story,” she continued. “Whatever I share gets condensed to five minutes max.”
Reps for Bravo did not immediately return Pvnew’s request for comment.
