Peter Madrigal Shares Raquel’s Text and Why He Quit Pump Rules

Credit: KWKC/MEGA, Instagram

Peter Madrigal explained why he didn’t return to Vanderpump Rules for season 11 on a podcast earlier this month.

As the frequent guest star, who has appeared on the Bravo reality series since its start in 2013, discussed Bravo’s failure to make room for his role in their budget, Peter also shared an apology text Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, 29, sent to him in January, and confirmed he has not spoken to Tom Sandoval, 41, since he questioned him about his potential hookup with Raquel.

“That wasn’t by my choice. I mean, I guess it was by my choice. In a sense, it was by my choice. So basically, my choice was to come back to the show for free or not do it. That’s basically what happened. So I’ve been getting paid on this show since the inception of the show. And then they asked me, ‘Do it for free,’” Peter shared on the March 1 episode of Bravo and Blaze With Jenny Blaze.

Peter then confirmed that the network didn’t explicitly say “free.”

“They didn’t say for free. But yeah, they didn’t have it in the budget, any payment for me in the budget. So that’s the reason why I was like, ‘Well, you know what? I’m not coming back,’” he explained.

Moving on to his recent interaction with Raquel, Peter said he received an apology text from her on January 16 at 7:16 in the morning.

“She said, ‘Hey Peter, I wanted to apologize for calling you a starter pony on Watch What Happens Live. It wasn’t cool of me to say that. I never meant to hurt your feelings. I hope you know you’re such a good person to go on a date with post-breakup with [James Kennedy], and I wouldn’t have wanted to cry on anyone else’s shoulder. You were someone I trusted to get back in the dating world. That’s what I meant by starter pony,’” Peter revealed.

“I can see [that] now. But at the time when it happened, that’s when everything broke,” he noted, signaling to Raquel’s affair with Sandoval, which was revealed in March 2023.

“‘I hope you’re doing well and I hope work is good,’” Raquel continued, according to Peter. “And I responded, ‘Thank you Rachel for acknowledging that. I accept your apology. I’m doing exceptional this dry January. I’m focused on health and wealth and I hope you’re healthy and happy as well.’”

During another moment of the show, Peter confirmed he and Sandoval had not spoken since Sandoval questioned him about whether he and Raquel “hooked up.”

“Yeah. That was a big thing with him,” Peter said of Sandoval’s inquiries about their possible encounter, which ironically came as he was cheating on Ariana Madix, 38.

Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.