Meghan McCain Says She Feels More Compassion for Raquel Than Ariana in 'Vanderpump Rules' Scandoval
Meghan McCain is offering her take on Vanderpump Rules' Scandoval controversy. In a column for The Daily Mail, McCain addresses the verbal abuse leveled at Raquel Leviss by many of her co-stars during a reunion episode. Leviss' first face-to-face meeting with the group since news of her affair with Tom Sandoval broke occurred in March and was broadcast earlier this month.
During the time of the romance, Sandoval was still with co-star Ariana Madix, whom he had been dating for nearly a decade. McCain wrote about the situation, "This was TV gold. It was the kind of real-life car crash that any connoisseur of unscripted slop relishes. But somewhere along the way -- something went terribly wrong. Tom and Raquel were smothered in hate -- real hate. As 'Scandoval' played out in the media for months." She added, "I found myself feeling more compassion for Raquel than Ariana."
In the final part of the season 10 reunion, Leviss' co-stars let loose, with Madix unleashing a profanity-laced tirade against her. After the reunion aired, Lala Kent admitted that she "felt dirty" over the situation, which McCain called "nothing short of a bloodbath."
"Reality television is meant to be escapism, not sadism. Yet that's what this became," McCain continued her op-ed. "Raquel was shaking and crying. And it all may have taken a terrifying toll." Upon completing the filming of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, Leviss entered an inpatient behavioral health facility. McCain implores Bravo not to "forget" about Leviss while Madix moves on with a new relationship and endorsement deals. "Bravo shouldn't forget about Raquel – they should be thanking her," she opined. "'Scandoval' brought the show and the network a degree of cultural significance that they have never achieved before. And from here now on out, they should proceed with a level of sensitivity that this debacle deserves. I, for one, want to watch how her story plays out."
In the wake of McCain's comments, former Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder, fired from the show in 2020, spoke out against the online hate directed at her and her former peers. "It's like emotionally beheading people," Schroeder said during an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, emphasizing her distaste for Sandoval and describing his recent behavior as "disgusting." "Who's to decide what the punishment should be? Like, who makes someone the authority on that?" she continued. "What makes this person on their computer the authority on what they think is enough hate for him to receive? I don't get down with that. I really, I don't like it."