Lisa Vanderpump (Finally) Speaks Out Against James Kennedy After Defending Him For Months Following His Domestic Violence Arrest

In a new interview with Us Weekly, Lisa Vanderpump (finally) spoke out against former Vanderpump Rules star James Kennedy, more than four months after the DJ broke his sobriety and was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and two months after Lisa seemingly downplayed the incident publicly. 

As The Ashley previously told you, cops were called to James’s home in December for a reported domestic disturbance. Once police arrived at the home, Ally Lewber, who was dating and living with James at the time, told police that her “boyfriend lifted her up and threw her to the ground.” James was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence, but did not face any charges. He has since publicly vowed to prioritize his sobriety.  

While discussing the idea of giving people second chances, Lisa used James as an example this week, telling Us Weekly that she has “had so much patience” with James over the years, but has seemingly reached her breaking point. 

“I was so happy to see him with Ally and doing so well,” Lisa said. “I know [addiction is] a disease, but at some point, you’ve got to say, ‘I cannot support this anymore’ with some people when they keep making the same mistakes.” 

Lisa went on to say that she reached out to James sometime after his December arrest, but informed him that she wanted to speak to Ally first in order to “understand it completely.” 

“I did talk to Ally at great length, and she reassured me that nothing happened physically– they were just in a drunken nonsense,” Lisa said– a statement that was very similar to the one she made to the same outlet in February, claiming that James “didn’t hurt [Ally] categorically,” and that Ally regretted “what happened with how this blew up.”    

Lisa said that she now thinks it’s “the best thing” that Ally and James are no longer together. 

“People continually make mistakes but it’s how they grow from it is what’s important,” she said. “…Some people, they keep making the same mistakes, and that’s frustrating for sure.”

Lisa claimed in February that the situation between the now-former couple occurred because Ally and James were “both being ridiculous and arguing” and that Ally only had James arrested to “teach him a lesson.” 

Lisa’s comments regarding the content of her and Ally’s conversation were much different than Ally’s recount of the conversation, which she spoke about earlier this month on The Viall Files podcast.

During the episode, host Nick Viall– who previously called out Lisa for initially choosing not to speak out about James’s arrest– noted that Lisa’s statement in February suggested that Ally had blown the December incident “out of proportion.” In response, Ally revealed that Lisa contacted her a month or two after James was arrested in an effort to convince her to stay with the Bravo star. 

“ … [Lisa] was basically like, ‘Ally, he needs you … you’re really good together,’” Ally recalled. 

Ally also claimed that during the phone conversation with Lisa, Lisa pointed out that both Ally and James were drinking on the night of James’s arrest. Lisa even allegedly suggested that Ally accompany James to an upcoming DJ gig he had scheduled. 

“I’m like, first of all, what shows? He’s canceled right now,” Ally said, referring to the multiple gigs James lost as a result of his arrest. “And also, no. I just moved into an apartment … we’re not together.” 

Ally acknowledge on the podcast that Lisa is “very protective over James,” admitting that the restauranteur’s relationship with James always felt “very motherly” to her, which she found “really weird” when she first joined the cast of ‘Vanderpump Rules.’ 

Ally has not responded to Lisa’s recent comments.