Lisa Vanderpump is still reeling from Wednesday night’s epic Vanderpump Rules finale. The show ended season 10 with a look at the affair between Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, and the fallout that ensued.
ET’s Brice Sander spoke to Vanderpump at the 2023 Vanderpump Dogs Gala, where she revealed she hasn’t spoken to Leviss in quite some time.
“I haven’t had any contact with Raquel,” Vanderpump revealed before sharing what she thinks Leviss and Sandoval’s future on the show will be. “I think she really needs to discuss with us what’s going on in her life, but Sandoval’s been part of that group for 15 years prior. You know, four years prior to the show. So, of course, there’s conversations and questions to be answered, and I hope they can get to that place. That’s what I really hope for them.”
She continued, “I don’t think you can just shut the door on somebody. I think we’re all guilty of some things… maybe not that. But I think at some point, there needs to be kind of discussions, and I think we’ll be there for it.”
As for last night’s episode, Vanderpump admitted it was “hard to watch,” with emotions riding just as high as they were in March when news that Sandoval had cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, first broke.
“Well, it was so emotional,” Vanderpump said. “As you know, that was filmed quite a bit after we finished filming the season. And so, it’s just so raw, and it was hard for me to watch, because although as a producer you love all the ins and outs and shenanigans, when you’re emotionally invested in a group of people, my heart really broke — actually for both of them. Of course, what he did… it cannot be condoned in any way shape or form. But still, to see the utter kind of misery and the devastation of the fallout, the relationship — it was hard to watch.”
VPR‘s three-part reunion promises even more drama, as the entire cast comes face-to-face to unpack “Scandoval.” As for what she was able to tease about the episodes, Vanderpump said it was “intense,” but ultimately, they got through it.
“Well, as we started the reunion. Within the first two minutes. I did think, ‘Oh gosh, no way are we actually going to get through this,’ because it was a bit like running my animal center. It was like, ‘Sit and stay,’ because they were just so fired up,” she explained. “You know, James starting off, and then Sandoval. And I thought, ‘This is never going to last,’ but we managed to get through it, but it was intense.”
The Vanderpump Dogs’ head continued, “These aren’t fabricated arguments. These are real people’s lives, where they’ve been together for years and years. So, it was hard. It was hard.”
Turning the attention to the dogs and away from the drama, Vanderpump couldn’t have been more excited to have the annual fundraising gala return following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You know what, it’s so exciting,” Vanderpump explained. “it’s been so hard the last three years not having a gala for a foundation, that basically relies on support. It’s been very difficult. But we’re back. We’re back in style.”
Vanderpump also wants people to get involved. While she raised $450,000 for the foundation herself thanks to Cameo, she said Vanderpump Dogs still needs support.
“Go to VanderpumpDogs.org. You know it’s a family-run foundation. We’re working people. It was very difficult for us to keep it going through the pandemic, ’cause our restaurants and our businesses were closed,” she shared.
For more on Vanderpump Rules, check out the links below.
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