Credit: Bravo
Lala Kent looked back on her “dark times” on Vanderpump Rules on a recent episode of her podcast.
Before dishing on the cast’s canceled spinoff, the relationship between Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney, and whether she’ll be seen discussing ex-fiancé Randall Emmett on season 10, Lala admitted that when it came to season seven, she wasn’t the best version of herself.
“Me, season seven, after my dad died, calling [Raquel Leviss] a bambi-eyed b-tch, telling Billie Lee she was boring to listen to and look at, almost head-butting her, calling her a h–, I look at that and go, ‘What the f-ck?’” Lala shared on the January 25 episode of Give Them Lala. “During that time, it was very very dark [and] I couldn’t watch it.”
According to Lala, she and her co-stars lost their footing toward the end of season seven. And, when it came time to film season eight, a lot changed — including the cast.
“It was brand new faces. It just didn’t make any sense,” Lala recalled, clarifying that Dayna Kathan “fit in great.”
While fans didn’t understand the sudden addition of Dayna, Danica Dow, Brett Caprioni, and Max Boyens, Lala revealed the new cast came in as she and other OGs were preparing to exit the series to star on a new show.
After confirming Stassi Schroeder was first to share the news, Lala said producers “were trying to push a new group in because they were taking us off and giving us the spinoff” before COVID hit, Stassi and Kristen Doute were fired, and Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright confirmed their own exits.
“The show that we were going to start filming was completely squashed. But that was the reason for all these new faces. It’s because they were introducing an entire new Vanderpump Rules and taking us out of it,” Lala explained, adding that viewers “should have [seen the aftermath of the firings].”
And after sharing that she and her co-stars nabbed a ninth season “by the skin of [their] teeth,” she told listeners that season 10 will be more authentic.
“We can’t show us working in a restaurant forever. It doesn’t make any sense. We don’t work there. We don’t have to work there but I think for it to make sense and for you to follow someone’s journey, you’ve gotta understand why, why are they able to afford these houses,” she stated. “I think season 10, you’re going to see all of it. It’s going to take you back to old, throwback Vanderpump Rules. You got one person, two people that actually live in a house. Everyone else is apartment living again.”
As Pump Rules fans well know, both Tom and Katie moved into new apartments after selling their $2.5 million home in Valley Village amid their 2022 divorce. And, when their split was mentioned on her podcast, Lala’s guest, Lara Marie Schoenhals, accused Tom of sucking the life out of Katie — and Lala agreed.
“Right. I’m excited for people to see Katie this season because you do get to see her not have to play a mom to her husband,” Lala stated. “There was something when she decided, ‘I’m doing this. I’m moving on with my life.’ Something changed in her. Something changed in her face.”
Also on her show, Lala confirmed that while she did address her drama with Randall, who was rumored to be facing an FBI investigation over alleged “child exploitation” at the end of last year, which he denied while filming season 10, she’s not sure what will make the cut.
“I feel like I talked about it a lot. [But] there’s a lot of times during filming where I feel like I’ve spoken about things and it usually ends up on the chopping block, like maybe it’s too heavy for Vanderpump Rules,” she reasoned.
Vanderpump Rules season 10 premieres Wednesday, February 8, at 9/8c on Bravo.