Despite the drama it would have added to season 11, Andy Cohen supports Rachel “Raquel” Leviss‘ choice not to come back to Vanderpump Rules.
“I think it’s a personal decision. If that was the healthiest move for her, I respect looking at it and saying, ‘This was not something that brought out the best in me so I’m going to choose something else,’” Cohen, 55, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 9, while promoting his partnership with Walmart+.
Cohen made it clear his support extends to every Bravo production he produces, adding, “I really respect that decision always across all shows.”
Despite Leviss’ absence, Cohen hinted that the upcoming episodes will be a wild ride.
“[I’m] very excited for people to see Vanderpump Rules [season 11]. Listen, it picks up where we left off,” he noted. “I think seeing the shifting relationships and platelets and growth in some — and stagnation in others — is really going to be interesting for people.”
Season 11 filming started months after Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix called it quits following nearly a decade of dating due to his affair with Leviss, 29. Most of the cast members ultimately returned to film including Madix, 38, Sandoval, 41, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, James Kennedy, Ally Lewber and Brock Davies.
Leviss, however, checked herself into a mental health facility in April 2023 after the scandal made headlines. She remained in treatment for 90 days before confirming she had no plans to return to the Bravo series.
“Oh, hell no. No, because I refuse to not respect myself on that level where I would endure that emotional abuse any longer,” Leviss said on Bethenny Frankel‘s “Just B” podcast in August 2023. “I can’t do that to myself.”
Leviss claimed the network shutting down her request for a bigger paycheck contributed to the final decision.
“One of the things that producers also told me is that you get paid based off of your performance from the season prior,” she claimed. “The mistakes that I’ve made on camera live on forever. And you mentioned something about the addiction of doing reality TV and the way that they always dangle that carrot in front of you. Like, [they say], ‘You need to tell your side of the story, otherwise it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying.”
Leviss was seemingly the only cast member with reservations about coming back. Sandoval, for his part, continued to film the show even though most of his cast members chose Madix’s side after the drama.
During his interview with Us, Cohen said he isn’t sure whether season 11 of Vanderpump Rules will redeem Sandoval.
“It’s up to the folks on the show. I think the question is, ‘How long do we keep this guy on an island?’ And it’s up to the fans,” he continued. “We’ve known him through television for 10 years, so where is he? What place does he hold with us now?”
In addition to preparing for Vanderpump Rules‘ highly-anticipated return, Cohen is also focused on Walmart+’s Save Your Resolutions campaign. He teamed up with the company as they aim to “save” any New Year’s resolution.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about what are my resolutions going to be, and I, like millions of Americans, ditch mine every year,” Cohen shared. “So, we’re trying to get you to save your resolutions, and if you sign up with Walmart+, it’s kind of the ultimate savings membership. It saves you time and money on things like free grocery delivery, free shipping, discounted fuel, all these ways to help kind of kickstart and save your resolutions.”
If fans sign up for Walmart before the end of January, they will receive $50 bucks in Walmart cash. “Who’s going to say no to that?” Cohen added.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
