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Lisa Vanderpump opened up about her relationship with Raquel Leviss at her 2023 Vanderpump Dogs Foundation Gala on Thursday night.
While explaining why Tom Sandoval wasn’t in attendance, teasing the upcoming three-part Vanderpump Rules reunion, and sharing where she stands with the SUR waitress, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum admitted that Wednesday’s season 10 finale was “hard to watch.”
“It’s still hard to watch when you see emotional breakdowns like that… When you are invested in these people you have known for so many years, who is right or wrong when you see them absolutely hysterical? It’s been very difficult,” Lisa explained to Extra on May 18.
Following the emotional finale, which featured the heartbreaking moments that followed the news of Sandoval and Raquel’s affair, Lisa said she thinks “we are ready for” the reunion.
“There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. I don’t think we have heard it all yet. [And] I think there is still going to be more as soon as we start filming again,” she shared.
As for why Sandoval did not attend Thursday’s event, Lisa said he “obviously” wouldn’t be there.
“It’s a feel-good factor, it’s my charity gala, and these feelings aren’t resolved, and I can’t sit [the Pump Rules cast] at a table and expect perfect harmony,” she revealed. “It’s not going to happen.”
Not surprisingly, Raquel, who is currently seeking treatment for mental health concerns, was also absent.
“I haven’t had any contact with Raquel,” Lisa confirmed to Entertainment Tonight.
And she’s unsure about what Raquel and Sandoval’s roles will be in season 11.
“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,” Lisa noted. “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.”
Although Ariana Madix has confirmed she will not film with Sandoval or Raquel if they return, Lisa wants a resolution.
“I don’t think you can just shut the door on somebody,” she reasoned. “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.”
After admitting the finale was “so emotional,” Lisa said that despite being a producer on the show, she was impacted by the raw nature of the footage obtained.
“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,” she shared. “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.”
Equally challenging was the wrangling she and host Andy Cohen were forced to do at the reunion as the cast faced off with Sandoval and Raquel.
“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,” Lisa 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.”
“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,” she added.
The three-part Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion begins next Wednesday, May 24, at 9/8c on Bravo.