Lala Kent explained why Vanderpump Rules costar Ariana Madix might have lost “a couple people” in the aftermath of her split from Tom Sandoval.
“I think it’s really important for people to know that she did not have much time to process before we went into filming,” Kent, 33, said during the Friday, March 22, episode of the “Jeff Lewis Has Issues” podcast.
Us Weekly confirmed in March 2023 that Sandoval, 40, and Madix, 38, had ended their nearly decade-long relationship due to his infidelity with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. Filming for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules picked up only four months after news of the affair broke. Following the breakup, the two remained in the house they had shared as a couple for nearly four years, only communicating through a third party. (Us confirmed that Madix is finally moving out, having purchased a new home in Los Angeles on March 19.)
“I think that’s where she’s maybe losing a couple of people in the group,” Kent said. “You’re talking about how unsafe you feel, yet you live in the same home as him. That’s also what was kind of losing me all season.”
Throughout season 11, Madix made it clear she would cut out anyone who remained on good terms with Sandoval. This line in the sand became a point of contention between Madix and Scheana Schay. Kent additionally received backlash for filming with Sandoval and, at times, defending him.
“We’re talking about, ‘This devastated me.’ But you met a new guy ten days later,” Kent continued, referencing Madix’s new boyfriend Daniel Wai. “So, I wanted her to kind of explain how all of these things can be true at once and I was looked at as kind of an idiot. Like, ‘How could you not even understand this? You felt unsafe with your ex.’ I’m like, so unsafe that I basically moved in the middle of the night and paid cash for an Airbnb because I didn’t want a paper trail. I was legitimately in fear. So you’re using all the same words that I’m using, and I can f–king relate to that, it’s the other things I need you to explain a little bit.”
She concluded, “I think you guys are gonna see as the season goes on. The season’s very different. It’s a little bit deeper than we’re used to. The finale was very intense. Yeah, I think it would have been good for [Madix] to take a break.”
Kent, for her part, can at least somewhat relate to Madix’s situation. She went through her own breakup in late 2021 and remains embroiled in a custody battle with ex-fiancé Randall Emmett over their daughter, Ocean, 3. Us confirmed their split in October 2021, just seven months after Ocean’s birth, with Kent later coming forward with accusations of infidelity against Emmett.
“It’s different and yet the same, if that makes sense,” Kent told host Jeff Lewis, who compared her situation with Emmett to Madix and Sandoval. “There are certain things about my situation where I’m not able to talk about them. There’s a reason why I’ve been in a custody situation. But if we’re just gonna talk about the true, cheating betrayal, I mean, it has taken me a really long time. It’s still really hard for me to go out and trust men.”
Kent added that she also had “the luxury” of her ex not being a series regular on Vanderpump Rules.
“Had my ex been a main cast member on the show, you know, I would have had to have really tough conversations,” she said. “I don’t know how to shut up; if you put someone in front of me who’s done me very dirty, I’m going off.”
She added, “I also wasn’t living under the same roof as him.”
