Credit: Instagram
Raquel Leviss has reportedly quit her role on Vanderpump Rules amid production on the series’ upcoming 11th season.
As the 28-year-old chooses to prioritize her mental health and avoid potential “trauma,” Summer House cast member Kyle Cooke, 41, has taken aim at Bethenny Frankel in an Instagram comment, claiming the Real Housewives of New York City alum exploited Raquel for cash on her ad-packed podcast.
On August 17, after Two Judgey Girls shared a photo from Raquel’s interview with Bethenny on Instagram, Kyle responded with a comment, slamming Bethenny’s hypocrisy.
“The irony of it all,” Kyle began. “Bethenny cashing in ads as she ‘exposes Bravo’s exploits’ and gives Rachel ‘a voice.’ She literally has more ad spots than any other podcast I’ve ever listened to.”
According to Kyle’s message, he believes Bethenny will be greatly compensated for the three-part interview with the Pump Rules alum — while Raquel gets nothing.
“Rachel won’t see a dime lol. I bet she had to pay her way to fly to B just to record this. If this was a true PSA, it would be ad free,” he concluded.
As Bravo fans well know, Bethenny has been taking a stand against Bravo for weeks in regard to the exploitation of their reality stars and their lack of residual payments to them, Raquel included. So, Kyle and others have felt that this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
On Instagram, after the first two podcast episodes were shared, Bethenny was met with backlash from her fans and followers, one of whom asked, “Why is it not OK for Bravo to exploit her situation but it is OK for you?”
“Her voice. Her words. Her choice,” Bethenny replied.
During part one of Bethenny’s three-part interview with Raquel, Raquel hinted that she would not be returning to Pump Rules while discussing the potential need to share her story.
“I’ve been portrayed as the ultimate villain,” she noted. “My mistakes that I 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, ‘Well, you need to tell your side of the story otherwise it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So I almost went back, just because of that.”
But one day later, an insider said that after some back and forth, she’s officially out.
“Rachel will not be returning for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. There was a possibility up until recently she’d be returning for the new season, but ultimately decided against it,” a source told Entertainment Tonight on August 17. “Rachel is focused on her mental health journey and knew going back to the show would open her up to trauma she’s been working on healing. Rachel is looking forward to what the future holds for her.”
Since spending two months at The Meadows, where she sought mental health treatment, Raquel has been residing in Arizona.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 is currently in production and expected to premiere on Bravo sometime later this year or early next year.