Lala Kent Was Suspicious of Raquel Leviss Amid ‘Pump Rules’ Filming: Biggest Podcast Revelations

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Lala Kent Was Suspicious of Raquel Leviss Amid 'Pump Rules' Filming: Biggest Podcast Revelations

Breaking it all down! Lala Kent shared her thoughts on Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval in the first episode of her podcast since the scandal came to light — and she didn't hold back. "Bottom feeders attract to bottom feeders, and real recognize real," the Utah native, 32, said during the Thursday, March 9, episode of her "Give Them Lala" podcast. "That's how it's always been." Before getting too deep into the subject, the beauty mogul claimed that she and Scheana Shay recorded a more revealing installment of the podcast that Bravo asked Kent not to release amid news that additional Vanderpump Rules footage is being shot right now. The Give Them Lala author, however, promised to drop the scrapped recording in the future, adding, "It was a great episode." In the meantime, Kent gave listeners an update on how Ariana Madix is doing in the aftermath of her split from Sandoval, 39. "This is Ariana's real life," the Bravo personality reminded fans. "It's everyone's real life, and I'm heartbroken for her. I cannot even imagine. She is going to come out of this looking at her life differently." Last week, Us Weekly confirmed that Madix, 37, and Sandoval called it quits after the bartender was caught cheating on his longtime girlfriend with Leviss, 28. The TomTom co-owner and the former pageant queen have since issued public apologies for their actions. [jwplayer s2BtzK8o-zhNYySv2] “I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana,” Sandoval wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, March 7, after issuing a statement days earlier that didn't mention his ex-girlfriend. “I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.” Leviss, for her part, said that she is "taking steps" to "make healthier choices" after the affair. “There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana," the SURver wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, March 8. “I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships." One day later, Leviss issued a second statement about where she currently stands with Sandoval. “Besides the indefensible circumstances surrounding our relationship, my feelings for Tom have always been sincere and born out of a loving friendship,” the California native wrote via Instagram on Thursday. “Knowing how many people we hurt, I need to understand my choices and learn to make better ones. I need to take care of my health, work on self growth and take time to be OK with being alone. I care for Tom and I don’t want to label anything or predict what lies ahead. Right now I need to heal.” Earlier this week, an insider exclusively told Us that Leviss and Sandoval's affair wasn't just a fling. “Tom and Raquel are the real deal,” the source said, adding that the duo wants to start officially dating when the dust settles. “They have confided to pals that it’s love and they have fallen hard for each other. ... Only time will tell if their bond can survive the backlash.” Keep scrolling for more revelations from Kent's podcast:

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How Lala Thinks the Reunion Will Go

"Maybe I should wear sneakers. And lots of boob tape," the Give Them Lala Beauty founder quipped, discussing what outfit she plans to wear for the reunion taping. "I don't want to be like, 'Pop, pop, pop,' and then a nipple comes out and kind of steals the show. I would be very upset."

The reality star added that she has no plans to get "physical" with her castmates in the aftermath of Leviss' claim that Shay, 37, gave her a black eye when she learned about the scandal. "I'm not a physical person just because I'm not trying to catch a case," Kent explained. "Also, there's something about putting my hands on someone that feels ick. So, that's not gonna be me, but I've never really been a physical person. That's why I talk the way I do. I don't know how the rest of the cast is gonna be. I think that there's gonna be a lot of security for sure."

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Why Lala Deleted the 'Send It to Darrell' Video

After posting an Instagram Story video about Leviss' legal notices to her costars, Kent quickly deleted it, but Pump Rules fans have already turned "send it to Darrell" into a meme — and Kent has turned it into merch. The former SURver explained that a friend advised her to take the video down so that her lawyer wouldn't get bombarded with messages from social media users.

Kent reiterated that she wasn't happy about the legal message, noting again that Leviss' attorney should have gone through Darrell. "We all got legal letters from Raquel's attorney," Kent claimed. "I was like, 'This guy.' I feel like you know that we have counsel. Don't send it to us directly. And how do you have my email address?"

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Can Raquel Come Back From This?

Kent hinted that she thinks Leviss will have a hard time recovering from the scandal, especially among her costars. "It feels very climb-y," the Spree star said, referencing Leviss' past hookups with Peter Madrigal and Tom Schwartz. "There's plenty of dudes to make out with. You gotta get out of the group. For it to be your best friend's dude it's just yucky. For her to make a comeback, the group's never gonna forget. That's some low-down, dirty stuff."

The former waitress added that she wouldn't even attempt a comeback if she were in Leviss' shoes, noting that her costar gave her "an ick" from the beginning. "I personally would leave and run away and go home, I would and go and live my life. This is not good," Kent said. "Men are a–holes, but you don't expect your best friend who's a woman to do you like that. And to sit there and look you in your eyes and confide in each other and go get lunch when the whole time that's what she's been doing behind your back? That is absolutely terrifying. .... This is a character flaw."

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What Lala Suspected

"During the 10 weeks that we filmed, there was a scent I was picking up," Kent told listeners, explaining that she meant the original round of the filming rather than the new additions from this week. "Katie [Maloney] also was like, 'I agree, I'm sniffing something too.'"

Kent added that she's happy her costars now agree with her about Leviss' character, saying: "It feels so good when you hate someone and then everyone else gets on that train. It's a bond that can't be broken now. I'm like, 'Finally, y'all got on the train. Toot toot, all aboard!'"

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Lala's Warning About Narcissism

Kent advised Pump Rules viewers to watch the upcoming episodes with an eye toward their own lives and relationships. "I want it to be a teachable moment in the sense that people like this exist," she said, mentioning her 2021 split from ex-fiancé Randall Emmett. "I've been screaming about narcissism at the top of my lungs since my own situation. It's scary, absolutely terrifying, and you could be sleeping next to one, you could have someone in your friend group, and they will bleed you dry in every sense of the word. I cannot stress this enough. When you're watching, please pick up [on the] behavior that you're seeing. It's important. And if you have someone in you're life that is acting that way, you cut that s–t out immediately."

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How Ariana Is Doing Now

Madix has spending time with some of her Pump Rules costars following the split, but Kent said her own support has been mostly remote. "I think I'm going to be someone that comes in later down the line," Kent explained. "I think I'm way too intense for her right now, way too abrupt. The way I handled my situation is different than the way she's handling hers, because we all handle heartbreak in a different way. ... I text her, I check in with her friends, just letting her know I'm here. But I think that's where it should stay just until the wound is not so fresh. ... I have my grenade launcher ready, just give me the go, and she has given me the go."

Kent added of Sandoval: "That man dimmed her light. Dimmed it. He exhausted it. And you wanna know how I know? Because I was in something like that, where I was like, 'God, you're so f–king annoying, I'm exhausted from you.'"