Earlier this year Vanderpump Rules became one of the most talked about shows in reality TV history because of a scandal between cast members Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval, but it’s looking like season 11 is going to be full of drama and intrigue too!
Not only will cast members be dealing with the aftermath of “Scandoval” — the name fans gave to the drama surrounding Sandoval cheating on his long-time girlfriend Madix with her best friend — but now it looks like a controversial former cast member may be returning to the show.
According to Zack Peter on his "Latest Reality Tea" Youtube channel, Billie Lee has been approached by Vanderpump Rules producers and asked to begin filming with the cast for the upcoming season of the hit show.
Peter said that a source close to production told him that they want Lee back on the show to be an “ally for Tom Sandoval.” After spending all of season 10 lying to his friends about his affair with fellow cast member Raquel Leviss, Sandoval has few friends left and most of the cast has said they don’t want to film with him.
Lee originally joined the cast of Vanderpump Rules in 2018, becoming the first transgender woman to appear on a long-running reality series. Fans were first introduced to Lee on season six when she gave a passionate speech at a Pride event. Lee also opened up on camera about a breakup she was going through because she wasn’t able to have biological children with her ex.
Since the “Scandoval” news broke, Lee has been seen spending time with Sandoval, a move that angered Scheana Shay who called the move “shady” on an episode of Watch What Happens Live.
Lee was a controversial figure on the show who wasn’t always liked by the rest of the cast. She was fired from the show in 2019 and during the season seven reunion, former cast member Kristen Doute accused Lee of sleeping with Sandoval while he was dating Madix.
Word of Lee's return has spread over social media, including TikTok. The celebrity gossip TikToker Stephanie Tleiji (@stephwithdadeets) shared the news and echoed many fans' feelings that they don’t want Lee back on the show because she’s “annoying” and brings too much “drama.”
There are also rumors that Sandoval wants Lee back on the show so that he has a friend to film with and that Lee is hoping to have a conversation with Madix while filming.
While the news of her return to the series has yet to be confirmed by Bravo, it would be great to get some much needed LGBTQ+ representation on the popular reality show!
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
