Credit: Shutterstock/Eugene Powers
Randall Emmett slammed the upcoming Hulu documentary The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing and Vanderpump as a “vindictive hit piece,” and he claimed it regurgitates the “biased” Los Angeles Times article that brought the issues to light.
The film, airing May 22, released a trailer showcasing allegations of workplace abuse and discrimination. Randall, a prominent film producer, was romantically involved with Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent.
In a statement via Page Six, Randall addressed the documentary.
“Almost one year ago the Los Angeles Times wrote a highly biased and factually inaccurate hit piece on me. One of the writers, Amy Kaufman, seemed to have a personal vendetta against me, I believe due to her alleged friendship with my ex Lala Kent,” said the 52-year-old.
“Among other things, the article contained fictitious and greatly exaggerated stories made up by a few former disgruntled employees who had been dismissed,” Randall added.
“Lala was also a participant in this fiasco, likely because I have been fighting for 50/50 joint legal custody of our child.”
Randal shared why he chose not to film for the doc.
“I declined to participate because it very quickly became apparent to me the film was going to be as biased, if not more so, than the article on which it was based,” said the producer. “It’s my understanding numerous people were contacted to participate in this documentary and most declined.”
According to Randall, he was “told people were encouraged to speak negatively about me while the vast majority had only positive things to say.”
He thinks the people that were included in the project are “the ones who had very definite agendas … It also appears to me that very little if any fact-checking took place, with a complete absence of any journalistic integrity whatsoever.”
He insisted that the film is “nothing more than a vindictive hit piece,” as well as a “regurgitation of the biased Los Angeles Times article … a cheap attempt to capitalize on the current ‘Vanderpump Rules’ fever.”
“My family, the people with whom I work and those who matter in my life all know the truth and my accomplishments; I have nothing to prove,” the producer added.
As a response, the L.A. Times told the outlet, “The Los Angeles Times stands behind its reporting on Randall Emmett. Two veteran entertainment journalists, Amy Kaufman and Meg James, reviewed hundreds of court filings and Emmett’s internal company records and interviewed three dozen former associates in the course of an investigation that published last year.”
“If Emmett would like to dispute any of the facts in our reporting or the information that Kaufman and James share in the documentary, we welcome him to do so.”
The two exes are battling over custody of Ocean, their two-year-old daughter.
The Vanderpump Rules season 10 finale airs Wednesday, May 17, at 9/8c on Bravo.