Kristen Doute is sharing her side of the story after Raquel Leviss made claims about the upcoming Vanderpump Rules spinoff.
“Rachel is not lying in the small clip that I heard … she’s telling some truths,” Doute said via Instagram Stories on Thursday, August 17. “But I was definitely not offered any sort of hush money or anything like that.”
Earlier on Thursday, Leviss alleged that Doute was cast on Bravo’s new series as a way to stop Doute from speaking out against their mutual ex, James Kennedy.
“Kristen was just starting to talk about her tumultuous relationship with James and what happened behind closed doors. Then all of a sudden she’s presented with this spinoff,” Leviss told Bethenny Frankel on her iHeartRadio podcast. “I believe [it] is a way to silence her — to keep that under wraps — so that the longevity of Vanderpump Rules can continue. … I’ve seen him be a violent person so I have no doubt that what she’s saying is true. I hope that one day it will come to light and there will be justice.”
Doute, who got physical with Kennedy during season 3 of Vanderpump Rules, later returned to the platform twice to attempt to clarify her statement.
“I have not listened to Bethenny’s podcast with Rachel. I saw a TikTok that had a clip that had my name in it, so that is what I was responding to. And I’m now hearing all sorts of things that were also said, [that] I have no idea [about],” Doute said. “I agree with what Rachel says about you know who — I think I’ve made my feelings very clear. But also you guys, for realsies, there’s no opportunity, no new anything, that I was given, like, to silence me or as hush money or anything like that. So that part is completely incorrect. And I hope that clears things up.”
A spokesperson for Bravo also denied Leviss’ claims, telling Us Weekly in a statement: “Kristen Doute was one of the people approached for an upcoming spinoff because she is part of the friend group that is featured on a new show.”
The network subsequently contested Leviss’ remarks about Tom Sandoval’s negotiations for season 11. (Leviss and Sandoval were under fire at the end of season 10 when their months-long affair behind his then-girlfriend Ariana Madix’s back was exposed.)
“I don’t know if I’m even able to disclose this information, but he did tell me during negotiations for season 11 that he was offered a producer credit for season 11,” Leviss told Frankel. “It makes me skeptical, like, was this really just something that was fabricated for this end result.”
She went on to claim that Sandoval convinced producers to cut a line about the NSFW FaceTime he recorded of Leviss.
“When Tom and I were filming at my apartment, after filming got picked back up, I said to Tom, ‘How can I trust you? You filmed me without my consent.’ And he admitted to it. But then after that scene wrapped, he said, ‘Why did you say that? Why did you say that on camera? You made me look bad,’” Leviss alleged. “And I was like, ‘Well, because that’s what happened.’ … He ended up boycotting filming the rest of Scandoval so that he could have editing rights to that scene to take out that specific [scene].”
Bravo told Us in response: “Tom Sandoval was never offered a producer credit on season 11, and had absolutely no creative control over any editing during any season of Vanderpump Rules.”
