Lala Kent was hit with backlash after she nearly walked out of the “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 reunion.
During the final part of the reunion that aired on Bravo on May 28, 2024, Kent threatened to walk off stage when the other cast members didn’t back her comments about Ariana Madix. The “Give Them Lala Beauty” founder claimed several co-stars, including her bestie Scheana Shay, have complained about Madix off camera.
“Can we be done?” Kent said as she stood up. “I’m like so [expletive] done. I don’t want to do this anymore,” she added as she attempted to walk off. “This is not fun for me.”
Kent claimed she was the only one in the cast who had been honest all season. She ultimately sat back down after host Andy Cohen and co-star Lisa Vanderpump urged her not to leave.
Many fans felt Kent’s tantrum was hypocritical given her previous rant about Madix walking out during the “Vanderpump Rules” finale filming.
Fans Unleashed on Lala Kent following the VPR Season 11 Reunion
PeacockLala Kent starts to leave the “Vanderpump Rules” reunion.
Much of the reunion drama stemmed from a viewing of the season 11 finale episode, titled “Plot Twist.” At the very end of the episode, Madix walked out of a group event in San Francisco after her ex, Tom Sandoval, tried to approach her. Executive producer Jeremiah Smith even tried to talk her out of leaving. “Ariana, don’t do this,” the EP said on camera. “Don’t end like this.”
After Madix walked out, Kent went on a rant about her walking away from the cameras and not doing her job. Kent noted that part of the cast’s job is to have uncomfortable conversations.
During the reunion finale that aired on May 28, the cast watched the final moments of the season 11 finale together for the first time. After watching the clip, Kent claimed that if she didn’t speak her mind at the end of the finale, the episode would have ended with Madix walking out. She also called Madix’s decision to walk out of the finale party “a slap in the face.”
Fans reacted on social media, with some questioning Kent’s double standard.
“I thought walking away and not filming made you a bad cast mate?”one viewer wrote on X.
“Lala throwing a whole fit at the season finale for Ariana walking out…. Also Lala, having a mental breakdown bc she couldn’t walk out at the reunion 😂😂😂😂,” another commenter wrote.
“I can’t believe Ariana walked out of the finale! Let me walk out of the reunion!🙄,” another wrote, adding, “So over Lala #PumpRules.”
“Lala was literally about to walk out of the reunion. Yet she can’t get over Ariana walking out during the finale? Make it make sense. #PumpRules #VPR,” another wrote.
“I know Lala didn’t just walk off the reunion after [expletive] all over Ariana for walking out in the finale. …The biggest hypocrite. #pumprules,” another chimed in.
Ariana Madix Said Her Walk Out Made For a Better Finale
PeacockAriana Madix.
Following her reunion rant, Kent told Madix that even if she didn’t care about “Vanderpump Rules,” she needed to care that it was her co-stars’ livelihood.
“I was livid that night. Livid,” Kent added of the night of the finale filming. “And I’m sorry if I hurt you, but I stand by what I said.”
Madix defended herself with, “Arguably, if you wanna talk in show terms, me walking away from that conversation was a lot more interesting than me sitting there and having it. Was that not a better ending to your season, to give you another season for another paycheck?”
“Had I not spoken my mind, it would’ve ended with you walking out the door,” Kent replied.
Now fans are left to wonder if that finale blowout will mark the end of “Vanderpump Rules” as they know it. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in May 2024, producer Alex Baskin admitted there’s been “a lot of speculation” about the future of the show, especially given Bravo’s decision to put filming on “pause” this summer.
“People have written the show’s final chapter many times, and the show has continued,” he said.
He also addressed Kent’s post-reunion locker room breakdown in which she hinted that she may be done with the show. “I’ve learned not to make too much of the moment right after the reunion, because that was so emotional and so cathartic that I think that spoke to what she was thinking at the time,” Baskin said.
“I’ve gotten a lot of post-reunion resignation notices in my time,” the Bravo producer added. “And sometimes they reflect someone genuinely coming to an end, and other times they don’t. And they just reflect the moment.”
