Katie Maloney is just as shocked as Vanderpump Rules fans about Lala Kent unfollowing her and Ariana Madix on social media.
“I found out about that through a post on Instagram,” Maloney, 37, revealed exclusively to Us Weekly during a joint interview with Scheana Shay to promote their Chili’s Grill & Bar partnership.
Maloney said she didn’t expect Kent, 33, to publicly cut ties because they were seemingly in a better place, adding, “Lala and I over a year ago had went through some stuff and I thought we repaired [it]. Then, this past season you see on the show, we kind of got into some spats.”
Their friendship took an unexpected turn while filming season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. “We were like, ‘I feel like we were not seeing eye to eye on a lot of things.’ And I am not entirely sure,” Maloney added. “I don’t really know what to say about it.”
In response to a question about the upcoming reunion, Maloney denied that viewers will understand why Kent was so frustrated with her and Madix, 38, throughout the season. Maloney also weighed in on Kent’s recent digs at Madix — specifically how she didn’t always bring as much to the show.
“If we’re talking throughout the years, I think some people have stronger seasons and stronger story lines and some people are a little bit more secondary at times,” Maloney told Us. “But I think that’s just par for the course. I don’t necessarily entirely agree with that.”
Vanderpump Rules fans are very familiar with Maloney and Kent’s ups and downs throughout the years. After getting off to a rocky start, the pair established a strong friendship that lasted several seasons.
Season 11, however, called their friendship into question when Maloney wasn’t as quick to forgive Tom Sandoval for cheating on Madix with Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss. Meanwhile, Kent was more determined to move on from the drama for the sake of her own mental health. Kent subsequently formed a closer bond with Shay, 38, who also considered a reconciliation with Sandoval, 41.
“I know how Lala has felt for a while now,” Shay told Us during the joint interview. “A big thing at the reunion was Lala just kind of wanting everyone to tell the truth. The things that Katie and I have both vented to her about — whether it be about Ariana specifically or the sandwich shop or the show. She just really wanted us to say what we’ve said to her to everyone else. I don’t think she felt like everyone did that.”
Shay confirmed that she has remained close to Kent, adding, “I definitely know where her head is at and this is a tough group to navigate when something so big like this shakes it up. But I do absolutely understand where she’s coming from.”
Earlier this year, Kent hinted that she had an offscreen falling out with Maloney before the season 10 reunion, which was filmed in March 2023. The duo initially worked out their differences but Kent has since teased more issues in their friendship that only got worse at the season 11 reunion.
“At this stage of the game, I was like, ‘I feel so grossed out.’ At the reunion, people [were] looking at me dead in the eyes being like, ‘That never happened,'” Kent recalled on the Thursday, April 11, episode on the “Housewives Nightcap” podcast. “Even thinking about it now, I was so frustrated that I was sobbing uncontrollably after.”
She continued: “I think it’s going to be a really good reunion. I think it’s going to be one we haven’t really experienced before. It felt like a giant purge for me. I felt great when it was over. I left feeling peaceful. I knew that I had been as honest as I would have been, even though it might not have hit the way that I may have liked it to. I had not one thing to hide. There was not one stone that was left unturned on my end.”
Maloney, meanwhile, is ready to put the drama behind her, telling Us, “I think at this point everyone just kind of wants to just move on.”
In the spirit of shifting her focus, Maloney and Shay teamed up with Chili’s to introduce the restaurant’s new version of the Espresso Martini, which swaps out vodka for Reposado tequila.
“I have been swapping out vodka for tequila with everything, so it just makes sense. I think just the flavor is so good. I’m a Reposado girl myself,” Maloney shared. “I think it’s just so smooth. Just the agave and tequila just really comes through and it’s just such a smooth, delicious cocktail and [with] my history with tequila, it just makes sense.”
Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Peacock the next day.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
