Credit: Bravo
Lala Kent claims Ariana Madix wasn’t exactly happy to see her stepping in as Tom Sandoval was mercilessly booed during their Vanderpump Rules panel at BravoCon earlier this month.
While hosting an Amazon Live session this week, Lala, 33, looked back on the moment she attempted to silence the crowd, pointing out that Sandoval, 40, didn’t have to show up to the Las Vegas event, confirming where she and Ariana, 38, stand with one another now, and revealing her “rock bottom” moment.
Speaking of Ariana’s reaction to her defense of Sandoval, Lala said that while Ariana seemed “annoyed” at the time, they’re currently in a good place.
“I think in the moment after I said that she was probably annoyed with me. But I have really great conversations with Ariana and this season is going to look very different,” Lala explained to fans on Amazon Live on November 13, via Us Weekly.
According to Lala, a number of members of the Pump Rules cast were “very raw and confused” about where they stood with Sandoval amid filming on season 11 — but “not everybody.” In fact, Lala confirmed some people “are still standing strong” in how they feel about Sandoval following the March reveal of his months-long affair with now-ex-castmate Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
“But I know that Ariana knows me and sometimes I have to remind her that, ‘Even though I say these things, it doesn’t mean I’m going to invite him to Christmas dinner. It doesn’t mean I’m checking in on him. Like, you are my friend. I will always be honest with you and I will always support you. I am not blind to what you have gone through,’” Lala explained.
While Lala may have softened to Sandoval since filming the season 10 reunion, where she and her co-stars berated him and Raquel over their secret romance, that doesn’t mean her friendship with Ariana isn’t solid.
“I feel like we’re in a really great place,” she shared. “[And] if she ever became my enemy, it would not be because I chose that, and I don’t see her choosing that either.”
That said, season 11 did change her perspective on “Scandoval.”
“I felt like what [Sandoval] did to my friend was so crazy. But I also had my own personal experience,” she noted. “All of the things he said to me during that time that I was like ‘Oh, I’m on fire.’ Cut to eight months later. I know what I said and I stand behind everything I said. But at some point, you gotta move on.”
Lala also addressed her defending of Sandoval against boos during an interview with Us Weekly at BravoCon, saying she “just felt like it was enough.”
“I don’t know that it was really directly for Sandoval. It was just like, we can’t keep doing this. We’ve got to move on at some point,” she explained. “And I didn’t feel like the punishment is fitting the crime any longer.”
Lala also recently spoke of her rock bottom moment amid her sobriety.
“I’ve been sober for 5 years today. On this day I replay my rock bottom moment. All the details of what happened on this day. Waking up, admitting I was powerless, and for the first time in many years seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m so grateful for this day. I will continue to work hard for my sobriety, & take a moment of silence for the alcoholic who still suffers. I see you- I love you. Thank you, God. Happy birthday to me!” Lala captioned an Instagram post shared last month.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 will premiere on Bravo in January 2024.