Rachel “Raquel” Leviss has made a glamorous return to the red carpet for the first time since Scandoval.
Leviss, 29, stepped out at KIIS FM’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on Friday, December 1, dazzling in a sparkling gown. The Vanderpump Rules alum stunned in a sequined bustier dress with a long, sheer overlay. Leviss completed her look with delicate gold rings and wore her hair in a chic bob.
For glam, the reality TV alum went with a smoky eye and a pale pink lip.
Leviss’ attendance at the music festival marked her first red carpet since news broke that she had an affair with Pump Rules costar Tom Sandoval. Us Weekly confirmed in March that Sandoval, 41, and longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix split after his months-long secret romance with Leviss.
Leviss, who was previously engaged to James Kennedy before their 2021 split, has largely been staying out of the limelight since the scandal made headlines. After apologizing to Madix, 38, and attending the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion, Leviss entered a mental health treatment facility.
After leaving the inpatient program in July, Leviss cut off communication with Sandoval.
“Rachel and Tom have not spoken in nearly three months,” a source exclusively told Us in September, noting Leviss “made the decision that it was healthiest” for her mental health despite Sandoval’s multiple “attempts of writing and calling.”
Later that month, Sandoval left Leviss a birthday message via Instagram. She responded by blocking him from viewing her page entirely. Blocking Sandoval from seeing her social media content was part of Leviss’ rebranded online strategy to focus on self-improvement.
“Part of the reason why I wanted to take some time away is just because it was so chaotic and loud and there was such vitriol online,” Leviss said during an August episode of Bethenny Frankel’s “ReWives” podcast. “But then the other part of the reason why I wanted to go to a treatment facility was to understand my behaviors.”
She continued: “And my goal was to really get down to the bottom of, ‘OK, 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.”
Leviss, who opted not to return for Vanderpump Rules season 11, is gearing up to further tell her side of the affair drama through her new podcast venture.
“I’m Rachel Leviss,” she said in a trailer for her “Rachel Goes Rogue” podcast, which dropped on Thursday, November 30. “This might not be the return you’re expecting, but this coming January, you’ll hear my side of the story, and you may just be surprised what you find out. I hope you’ll join me.”
Leviss’ podcast will debut on January 8, 2024, with a summary promising that the former beauty queen will “come clean” after staying quiet for “long enough.”
