Vanderpump Rules Star Rachel Leviss Drops ‘Raquel,’ Considers New Name
Famous TV Personality Rachel Leviss is all set to shed her former identity as Raquel and embrace a new nickname, Rocky. Recently, on her podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue, the former Vanderpump Rules star, 29, discussed her journey towards this change, inspired by her experience at the Lightning in a Bottle festival and her exploration of spirituality.
“I find it funny and cute,” she said. She playfully introduced herself as “Rocky Rocky Bang Bang” to a new friend at the festival, and the name stuck.
Rachel Leviss opens up about choosing the name Raquel from a place of insecurity
“The name Raquel came from a place of feeling unworthy and wanting to be someone else,” Rachel Leviss explained. “It stemmed from insecurity. I was trying to cope with social anxiety and mould myself into what I thought others wanted me to be.”
The reality TV alum now introduces herself as Rocky, a name with special meaning from her childhood when she played volleyball. “It’s just a nickname, nothing too fancy,” she said. “I enjoy nicknames and connecting with different aspects of myself. It doesn’t mean I’m entirely different; I’m just embracing all parts of me.”
In another part of Thursday’s podcast episode, Leviss discussed how she and her fellow Vanderpump star Tom Sandoval’s secret affair—which made headlines—still impacts the show a year later.
“Do you think they dragged out about your secret affair too much this season?” her producer asked Leviss, and she simply responded, “Yeah.”
Leviss: Secret affair storyline overextended in Vanderpump Rules
Rachel Leviss thinks the affair storyline has gone on for too long. But she also understands why producers would cover it for the whole season because it was all anyone talked about at the time.
She believes it feels stretched out due to the time delay. “Perhaps it would’ve been better to wait before filming because it was so fresh. But they want to capture the drama in real-time, and this was a gold mine for them,” she said.
“Since the VPR season 11 reunion aired last month, Leviss added that she’s happy to focus on her podcast and avoid drama.”
After the intense reunion, she said, “I’m proud to have created this podcast with my producers. Speaking out and defending myself was a big decision.”
Leviss also concluded that It’s a relief not to be on the defense anymore. She feels a weight lifted and can now focus on the podcast’s direction, discussing mental health and important topics of her life.
ALSO READ: ‘Had Me Under His Love Spell’: Rachel Leviss Claims Tom Sandoval Allegedly Gaslit Her During Affair