The world of Vanderpump Rules has given viewers countless memorable relationships, but few have captivated audiences quite like the romance between James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss. Their journey together showcased the highs and lows of young love under the intense scrutiny of reality television cameras, proving that even before the infamous Scandoval rocked the Bravo universe, this couple had weathered their fair share of storms.
From their first meeting at a New Year’s party to their eventual engagement and subsequent split, James and Raquel’s relationship timeline reveals a complex love story marked by allegations of infidelity, struggles with addiction, family tensions, and ultimately, a devastating betrayal that would shock the entire cast. Their time together demonstrates that dealing with drama wasn’t something new for either of them—it was practically woven into the fabric of their relationship from the very beginning.
The Beginning: A New Year’s Romance
James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss first crossed paths at a New Year’s party in 2016, and the connection was immediate. The British DJ, who had already made a name for himself on Vanderpump Rules through his tumultuous relationship with Kristen Doute, found himself falling hard and fast for the California beauty queen. Shortly after their meeting, the couple made their relationship Instagram official, introducing Raquel to the world of reality television and the intense scrutiny that comes with dating someone in the public eye.
When Raquel was introduced on the show as James’ girlfriend, many fans were immediately suspicious of her intentions. Rumors circulated that she had been a fan of Vanderpump Rules before meeting James, leading some to question whether her feelings for the DJ were genuine or if she was simply seeking her own spotlight on the popular Bravo series. Despite the skepticism from viewers and even some cast members, James stood firmly by Raquel’s side, dismissing the commentary and focusing on building their relationship.
The early days of their romance seemed promising, with James appearing to have found stability after his chaotic relationship with Kristen. Raquel brought a calming presence to his life, and for a while, it looked like the young couple might have found something real amidst the chaos of reality television.
Navigating Infidelity Allegations
However, the path to happiness was far from smooth. During Season 5 of Vanderpump Rules, Raquel faced a serious test of her relationship when multiple women who worked at SUR approached her with disturbing allegations. These women claimed they had recently been intimate with James while Raquel was away at college, suggesting that her boyfriend had been unfaithful during their relationship.
The accusations put Raquel in an incredibly difficult position. She was confronted with allegations from multiple sources, all claiming that James had betrayed her trust. Yet, despite the weight of these claims and the number of women coming forward, Raquel chose not to believe them. She remained steadfast in her support of James, standing by his side even as questions about his fidelity swirled around them.
This decision to stay with James despite the cheating allegations revealed important aspects of Raquel’s character and the dynamic of their relationship. It demonstrated her loyalty and her willingness to trust James over the word of others, but it also foreshadowed a pattern of overlooking red flags that would continue throughout their time together. Years later, James would admit to cheating on Raquel with costar Lala Kent near the beginning of their relationship, confirming that some of those early concerns about his faithfulness weren’t unfounded.
Moving Forward: Deepening Commitment
Despite the rocky moments and infidelity allegations, James and Raquel’s relationship continued to evolve and deepen. By 2018, the couple had reached a significant milestone—they decided to move in together. This decision not only demonstrated their commitment to one another but also gave Raquel a more prominent presence on Vanderpump Rules, allowing viewers to see more of their day-to-day life as a couple.
Living together brought new dimensions to their relationship, and fans got to witness the mundane and intimate moments that define a partnership. The move seemed to signal that James and Raquel were serious about their future together, ready to take their relationship to the next level despite the challenges they had already faced.
By 2019, James was publicly expressing his deep feelings for Raquel in interviews. Speaking with US Weekly, he gushed about their relationship, saying, “Me and Raquel are super great. We’re super happy together. She’s the love of my life. I love her.” These declarations painted a picture of a man deeply in love and confident about his future with his girlfriend. To outside observers, it appeared that James had found his person and was ready to commit to her for the long haul.
The Journey to Sobriety
One of the most significant aspects of James and Raquel’s relationship was the role she played in his journey to sobriety. Throughout his time on Vanderpump Rules, James had struggled with alcoholism and the erratic, often destructive behaviors that accompanied his drinking. His alcohol-fueled outbursts had damaged relationships with cast members, cost him DJ gigs, and repeatedly put his spot on the show in jeopardy.
Raquel recognized that James’s drinking was not only harmful to him but was also toxic to their relationship. She made the difficult decision to give him an ultimatum: get sober or lose her. This ultimatum became a turning point in James’s life. Faced with the prospect of losing the woman he loved, he made the commitment to stop drinking and work on bettering himself.
James’s sobriety journey became a major storyline on Vanderpump Rules, with viewers watching him navigate the challenges of giving up alcohol while working in the nightlife industry and being surrounded by friends who continued to drink. Raquel was his constant support system throughout this process, attending therapy sessions with him and helping him stay accountable to his commitment. Her patience and dedication during this period showed the depth of her love for James and her belief in his ability to change.
The Engagement: A Dream Come True
After years of dating and working through various challenges together, James and Raquel reached what should have been the happiest moment of their relationship. In May 2021, James proposed to Raquel, and she said yes. The engagement was a major event on Vanderpump Rules, with the entire cast involved in helping James plan and execute the perfect proposal.
Viewers watched as James collaborated with his castmates to create a romantic and memorable proposal that would sweep Raquel off her feet. The moment seemed to validate everything the couple had been through together—the infidelity allegations, the struggles with alcohol, the challenges of being in a relationship under the constant watch of reality television cameras. They had weathered it all and come out stronger on the other side, ready to commit to spending their lives together.
The engagement brought genuine joy not only to James and Raquel but also to their friends and fans who had watched their relationship develop over the years. It seemed like a fairy tale ending for a couple who had proven they could overcome any obstacle thrown their way.
Cracks in the Foundation
However, the fairy tale wouldn’t last. By the end of Season 9, James and Raquel shocked fans and their fellow cast members by announcing they were calling off their engagement. The news came as a surprise to many who had watched them get engaged just months earlier, but as details emerged, it became clear that serious problems had been brewing beneath the surface for quite some time.
During filming, Raquel opened up about some of the issues that had plagued their relationship. One significant problem was her family’s feelings toward James. She revealed that her family didn’t love him, and she constantly felt caught in the middle between her fiancé and her loved ones. This tension created an untenable situation for Raquel, who wanted both the support of her family and a happy relationship with James but found herself unable to have both.
Even more concerning were the revelations about their intimacy—or rather, the lack thereof. According to reports, the couple hadn’t been sexually intimate for approximately two years before their breakup. This detail, shared during the Season 9 reunion, shed light on just how deeply troubled their relationship had become. The lack of physical intimacy suggested that their problems went far beyond surface-level disagreements and pointed to fundamental incompatibilities or unresolved issues.
The Pandemic’s Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in exposing the weaknesses in James and Raquel’s relationship. Like many couples who spent extended periods of time together during lockdowns, they found that the forced proximity and isolation magnified existing problems rather than bringing them closer together. The pandemic took a serious toll on their relationship, stripping away the distractions and busy schedules that might have previously helped them avoid confronting their issues.
Raquel also shared details about a specific incident that occurred during Thanksgiving, which served as a breaking point for her. Speaking on Scheana Shay’s Sheananigans podcast, she detailed an incident between James and her father that left her with the clear realization that “this relationship wasn’t one” she wanted to be in anymore. While she didn’t provide all the details of what transpired, it was apparently serious enough to make her question everything about their future together.
In December 2021, James and Raquel officially confirmed what fans had suspected—they had ended their engagement and broken up. The split marked the end of a nearly six-year relationship that had been documented extensively on Vanderpump Rules and had become a central storyline for both individuals on the show.
Moving On: Different Paths
Following their breakup, both James and Raquel attempted to move forward with their lives, though their paths looked quite different. James rebounded relatively quickly from the split, beginning a new relationship with Ally Lewber in January 2022. The speed with which he moved on surprised some fans, but James seemed ready to start a new chapter. His relationship with Ally has continued, showing that he was able to find love again after his engagement to Raquel ended.
Raquel’s post-breakup journey was more complicated and would eventually lead to one of the biggest scandals in Vanderpump Rules history. Initially, she was linked to several potential romantic interests. Viewers saw her consider dating SUR manager Peter Madrigal during the season, though Lisa Vanderpump quickly shut down that possibility, telling Peter it wasn’t professional to date someone who appeared on the show.
She also developed a flirtatious relationship with Tom Schwartz following his split from wife Katie Maloney. Raquel openly admitted to having a crush on her costar, and in one episode, she even directly asked him if he wanted to make out at a gig for Tom Sandoval. Schwartz turned her down, citing his desire to avoid causing drama with Katie, but the interaction showed that Raquel was exploring her options and trying to figure out what she wanted in her post-James life.
The Scandoval Revelation
Approximately a year after their breakup, James Kennedy learned information that would horrify him and rock the entire Vanderpump Rules cast. Raquel had been having an affair with their castmate and James’s close friend, Tom Sandoval. The revelation of what would become known as “Scandoval” took over the reality TV universe and became one of the biggest Bravo scandals in recent memory.
The situation was particularly shocking because no one—not James, not the other cast members, and certainly not Sandoval’s girlfriend of ten years, Ariana Madix—had any indication that Raquel and Tom were sleeping together. The level of deception required to hide the affair was staggering, and when the truth finally came out, it sent shockwaves through the entire cast and devastated both James and Ariana.
For James, the betrayal was multilayered. Not only had his ex-fiancée moved on with someone else, but she had chosen one of his friends and had been secretly involved with him possibly while James and Raquel were still together or immediately after their split. The revelation recontextualized much of what had happened in their relationship, leading many to wonder whether the affair had played a role in Raquel’s decision to end their engagement.
Lessons from Their Relationship
Looking back at James and Raquel’s relationship timeline reveals several important patterns and lessons. First, their story demonstrates how unaddressed issues can accumulate over time and eventually become insurmountable. The infidelity allegations that surfaced early in their relationship, James’s struggles with alcohol, the family tensions, and the lack of intimacy were all serious problems that needed to be confronted directly. While they made efforts to address some of these issues—particularly James’s sobriety—others were seemingly swept under the rug or minimized.
Second, their relationship illustrates the unique pressures that come with dating in the public eye and on reality television. Every argument, every mistake, and every vulnerable moment was captured on camera and dissected by millions of viewers. This level of scrutiny can make it difficult for couples to work through problems privately and can amplify conflicts that might be more easily resolved away from cameras.
Third, James and Raquel’s story shows that love alone isn’t always enough to sustain a relationship. Despite James declaring that Raquel was “the love of his life” and despite the years they spent together and the obstacles they overcame, they ultimately weren’t compatible in the ways that mattered most for a lasting partnership. Their lack of intimacy, family conflicts, and fundamental differences eventually proved too significant to overcome.
The Impact on Vanderpump Rules
James and Raquel’s relationship was a central storyline throughout multiple seasons of Vanderpump Rules, and their breakup had significant ramifications for the show. As individual cast members, both James and Raquel brought different dynamics to the series, and their split allowed for new storylines and interactions with other cast members to develop.
James’s journey through heartbreak and into a new relationship with Ally provided content for subsequent seasons, showing his growth and ability to move forward. Meanwhile, Raquel’s post-breakup storyline eventually led to Scandoval, which became the defining event of recent Vanderpump Rules seasons and arguably saved the show from cancellation as ratings soared due to the scandal.
The trajectory of their relationship also served as a case study in how reality television can both help and harm relationships. On one hand, having their struggles documented provided accountability—particularly regarding James’s sobriety—and allowed them to receive support from cast members and viewers. On the other hand, the constant presence of cameras and the need to create dramatic content for the show may have contributed to problems that a private couple might have been better equipped to handle.
Where They Stand Today
In the years since their split, both James and Raquel have continued to evolve as individuals. James has maintained his sobriety, which remains one of his proudest accomplishments and a testament to the work he put in during his relationship with Raquel. He continues to DJ and remains a cast member on Vanderpump Rules, navigating the complex dynamics with his ex-fiancée and dealing with the fallout from Scandoval.
Raquel’s journey has been more tumultuous. After Scandoval became public, she faced intense criticism and backlash from fans, cast members, and the media. The affair ended her friendship with many cast members and made her one of the most controversial figures in Vanderpump Rules history. She eventually left the show and has been working on rebuilding her life away from reality television, though she continues to face scrutiny for her actions.
The relationship between James and Raquel, once filled with promise and hope for a shared future, now exists only in past tense and in the archives of Vanderpump Rules episodes. Their story serves as a reminder that relationships require more than love—they need trust, communication, compatibility, and a shared vision for the future. While their time together gave viewers memorable moments and important storylines, it ultimately proved to be a chapter in both of their lives rather than their final story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When did James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss start dating?
A: James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss met at a New Year’s party in 2016 and began dating shortly after, making their relationship Instagram official and introducing Raquel to the Vanderpump Rules audience.
Q: Why did James and Raquel break up?
A: James and Raquel ended their engagement in December 2021 due to multiple factors including family tensions, lack of intimacy for approximately two years, and the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic took on their relationship. A Thanksgiving incident between James and Raquel’s father served as a final breaking point.
Q: Did James Kennedy cheat on Raquel Leviss?
A: Yes, James later admitted to cheating on Raquel with costar Lala Kent near the beginning of their relationship. During Season 5, multiple women also claimed they had been intimate with James while he was dating Raquel, though she didn’t believe these allegations at the time.
Q: What was Raquel’s role in James’s sobriety journey?
A: Raquel played a crucial role in James Kennedy’s journey to sobriety by giving him an ultimatum to stop drinking or lose her. She supported him throughout the process, attending therapy sessions and helping him stay accountable to his commitment to quit alcohol.
Q: What is Scandoval and how does it relate to James and Raquel?
A: Scandoval refers to the affair between Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval that was revealed approximately a year after Raquel’s breakup with James. The scandal shocked the cast because Sandoval was James’s friend and was in a ten-year relationship with Ariana Madix at the time.
