Finally, Vanderpump Rules fans have come to the end of this epic interview journey. It honestly didn’t feel too far off from Frodo venturing to Mordor to destroy the one ring to rule them all. Bethenny Frankel‘s podcast interview with Rachel Leviss has very much felt like one of those endless journeys across Middle Earth, except pretend the setting is Bravo and the villain is Bethenny’s ability to pretend to care. Okay, enough with the nerding out. Let’s jump right into the biggest bombshells from Rachel Leviss’ Bethenny Frankel interview part 3.
The Pill Bottle Incident
Bethenny returned to the topic of the Season 10 reunion, touching on the pill bottle that was thrown. “I read that Andy said to Variety Magazine that he thought you were medicated, insinuating you were on prescription drugs,” Bethenny said.
Rachel took a breath and then shared, “Um, well, I am medicated. I’ve been on antidepressants for several years now. But to say that I must be heavily medicated because my behavior was erratic or I didn’t have emotions is not okay.”
Rachel added that she thinks the king of Bravo violated HIPAA with the comments noting. “To make assumptions like that is damaging to a person,” she said. “An employer cannot say that an employee is medicated, whether true or speculation.”
Bethenny was quick to jump in. She added that she doesn’t believe “viewers digested” what was said, as it has become the norm. Bethenny also added that she wasn’t sure where the line was crossed. However, her reactions read as if she was trying to drive the point home that Bravo is a toxic workplace.
Mental Health Support
After comparing reality TV stars to “animals in a zoo,” Bethenny asked if anyone advocated for Rachel’s mental health on set. Rachel opened up, saying, “It was promised that I would have a mental health advocate in my trailer as I watched the first two parts and behind the scenes just in case, and that was taken away from me the night/day before the reunion. I feel it was a punishment because I did this—this paparazzi guy found me waiting to do my nails, and I answered some of his questions. I didn’t give away anything the reunion would touch on. I think the network saw that and, I don’t know, got angry and disappointed and punished me by taking away my mental health advocate.”
Rachel shared an interesting theory after the network refused to pay for her tuition to the mental health facility. She felt if Bravo paid, they would be admitting they allowed her to be hurt. Bethenny piped up, saying, “If you pay, then you’re culpable.”
When asked about the cast, Rachel acknowledged that she feels the cast is doing their job. However, Rachel also talked about the girl’s trip to Lake Tahoe. She said it was “very traumatic” and that she drank to cope with the anxiety of being around the girls.
Rachel explained, “The following day, Kristina Kelly and Lala Kent came into my room and said, ‘Omg Raquel, that was amazing. Last night was reality TV rating goals. So funny, you did it, you’re the best!’ Then on camera, ‘Raquel, how could you.’ So that was a mind fu*k.” Rachel conceded that it was their job to make ratings and create content for viewers. However, she argued the concept “is sick.”
Rachel Has Regrets
Naturally, Rachel “regrets a lot; I would do everything differently. I really want to acknowledge that a lot of people were believing in me, and I feel like I was a disappointment. I know there was a lot of trust broken between friendships and betrayal that happened. I look back at my actions, and I’m disappointed. That’s not the person I want to be; I wasn’t happy, I was really hurting. I don’t ever want to be in a place like that, and I will make sure I’m not.”
For Rachel, there has been a silver lining—being able to learn about herself and give herself forgiveness. Rachel still hopes to broaden her perspective on the things she’s experienced through this. The former beauty pageant contests conceded that she “needed to get caught; otherwise, it would have just continued. And that’s not who I want to be.”
When asked if she would return to reality TV, Rachel laughed and said, “HELL NO. I refuse to not respect myself on that level where I would endorse that emotional abuse.” Rachel admitted that she considered returning for Season 11, saying, “Yeah, of course. Other people are more important on the cast than I am, so I don’t think I would get a redemption arch.”
Surprisingly, Rachel says she “asked for equal pay with Tom and Ariana as well as reimbursing me for my expenses, but they refused to pay me equally, and I was considering coming back if they would have paid me. I feel pay shows how you value your employees. It’s impossible to not know how well the show is doing. Scandoval is the most sensationalized pop culture story.”
As for if she speaks to any of her former friends or cast members, Rachel laid it all on the line. She revealed she has shut the door forever. “I have a no-contact policy with every single cast member,” Rachel claimed.
TELL US – NOW THAT ITS OVER, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF RACHEL LEVISS’ BETHENNY FRANKEL INTERVIEW?