The last time viewers watched the drama go down on Vanderpump Rules was in May when Season 11 concluded. The season saw cast members become divided over forgiving Tom Sandoval for his affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss or maintaining “girl code” and being Team Ariana Madix through and through.
The last episode of Season 11 saw Lala Kent siding with Tom and breaking the fourth wall after she criticized Ariana for not filming with her ex-boyfriend. “I have never in my life experienced someone who gets cheated on, and suddenly she becomes God,” Lala stated.
Since the season’s dramatic ending, Lala has doubled down on her thoughts on Ariana and her refusal to film with Tom. In fact, it has strained the women’s relationship so much, Lala and Ariana are no longer friends.
Here’s What Went Down In The Dramatic Season 11 Finale That Had VPR Castmates Divided
The biggest scandal that may have ever taken place on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules was the shocking affair between castmates Tom Sandoval and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. No one saw their secret romance coming, and it ultimately ended Tom’s nearly 10-year relationship with Ariana Madix. The dramatic fallout was a main focus in Season 10.
At that time, nearly all the VPR castmates rallied around Ariana. In fact, their split made the reality TV star even more rich and famous. She landed commercials where she poked fun at her breakup, became a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, (Ariana and pro Pasha Pashov placed 3rd) and became the newest host of reality TV’s biggest dating show, Love Island USA.
Season 11 was still focused on Tom’s cheating, and it followed the aftermath of the affair. Interestingly, Ariana still lived in the same home as Tom but refused to speak a word to him. However, Scheana Shay and Lala Kent were among the friends that were stuck between forgiving Tom or being on Ariana’s side. Ultimately, both women slowly forgave their former friend, though it left Scheana stuck in the middle. As for Lala, she made it clear that it was time to move on, but not without making it known that Ariana refusing to speak to her ex made it difficult for the show to move forward.
The season finale saw both Tom and Lala breaking the fourth wall. The cast attended a party together, but when Tom walked up to Ariana, she walked away and, eventually, left the party. Tom became irritated and stated, “If you don’t want to film with your ex, don’t be on the show. Seriously, don’t sit back on your f****** lazy ass and collect a f****** check for doing nothing.”
Lala also sided with Tom that night. She was highly upset that Ariana continued not to film with her ex and find some sort of solution before the season was over. In addition, Lala felt that Ariana felt she was too high and mighty to do so after all the good things that came her way following the split. “I have my own point of view that I’ve been biting my tongue because it’s very hard to do and to not break — it’s a lot of breaking the fourth wall, so I’m gonna do it now.”
“This happened to her, the world rallied around her, she now thinks she’s Beyoncé.”
In a confessional, Lala further explained why she was frustrated with her friend. “I love filming this show because it is real. I find it tremendously healing, and for Ariana to walk out this way is just a slap in the face. This is what we do. We’ve been doing this for most of our adult lives.”
Lala added that there was a “responsibility that comes with living your life on camera” and Ariana refused to do that. She also pointed out that most of the VPR cast put everything out there for the cameras, since it was their job to do so.
Lala Kent Had No Regrets About What She Said In The VPR Finale
The Vanderpump Rules’ Season 11 reunion was broken into three parts with the last part of the reunion showing the cast reliving the season’s last episode. According to Bravo, the final moments of the finale were so heart-wrenching that the cast had not even watched it before it was shown at the reunion.
After watching the final minutes of the season finale, Ariana told host Andy Cohen that she was hurt by Lala’s words. “It hurts my feelings a lot. It really does, because I was trying so hard and then I feel like it’s our job to live our lives, and I’m living authentically by walking away from that …”
Lala apologized to Ariana, but she doubled down on the statements she made during the finale. In addition, she expressed that when she broke up with Randall Emmett, she had to talk about it on camera, unlike Ariana. “I was like why does she get to dictate how this goes down when I’ve never gotten to dictate [that]?”
Why Lala Kent Said A Friendship With Ariana Madix “Will Never Happen”
Lala Kent continued to express her frustrations with Ariana when it came to refusing to film with her ex. For Lala, she felt that Ariana was going through the season with too much ease, especially since each one of her castmates had gone through significant breakups and had to film with their exes. Seeing Tom and Ariana confronting one another for the first time was certainly something viewers wanted to see.
During an interview with Bravo in May, Lala shared, “I’m gonna be real about Ariana. She coasts through every f****** single season and we’re asking you to have one conversation with Tom Sandoval. You know the guy you shoved down our throats for so many years? … We’re asking you to have one conversation and you can’t do that?”
“Every single person on this show have the tough conversations.”
In separate Bravo interviews, all the VPR cast mates (excluding Katie Maloney) believed that Ariana should have a conversation with Tom. “We’re all trying to heal and move on and this is what I’m here for,” Scheana shared when admitting that her job was to address Tom and go through awkward conversations. Co-star James Kennedy later joked, “Part of me wishes she would, you know, ’cause I love the drama.”
In an October interview with Jeff Lewis, Lala shared an update on her friendship with Ariana. Unfortunately, the women have become divided since the Season 11 fallout. The reality star shared that she does not have a relationship with Ariana at all.
“We don’t have one,” Lala shared when addressing her friendship with Ariana.
When Lala was asked if she and Ariana would ever make amends, Lala firmly replied, “That will never happen. No.”
However, Lala did share that she had no hatred towards her former friend. “Ariana, I will always be a cheerleader for. She was absolutely fantastic on Broadway. She, I heard, killed it on Love Island. I’ve never watched the show and certainly didn’t start watching it because we’re not gonna, but I have no ill feelings about anybody on the show and I think that’s what it feels for the first time. I just feel peace.”
What Has Ariana Madix Said About Her Former Friendship With Lala?
Unlike Lala, Ariana hadn’t said much about her former friend. When speaking to E! News in September, she simply stated, “I haven’t been in touch with Lala at all.” The last time both women were seen together was Vanderpump Rules’ reunion, which was filmed in March.
Season 11 also saw Ariana and Scheana’s friendship take a hit as the latter wanted to forgive Tom and move on. When Andy Cohen asked Ariana on Watch What Happens Live, if their relationship was negatively affected, she said, “Yes.” Ariana added, “But there’s a lot of love there, and I think that will always be there.”
Ariana had stood her ground in not wanting to film with Tom. During the season finale, she shared in a confessional, “He’s never tried to talk to me off camera. He could’ve written something in a f****** letter and left it on the kitchen counter and I could’ve read it at my leisure. But if he would only do it on camera, to me, you just showed your true colors.”
