Getty Lala Kent attends IMDb LIVE At The Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards® Viewing Party.
Lala Kent, one of the stars of Bravo’s hit reality show Vanderpump Rules, recently opened up about her struggle with alcoholism. The description for tonight’s new episode of the show teases that Lala’s difficult relationship with drinking will be a major part of the drama.
The official synopsis for tonight’s episode, entitled “End of an Era,” reads “In Mexico, Lala’s decision to return to drinking leads to a panic attack; Tom Schwartz finds a unique way to rekindle the romance with Katie; Stassi and Beau try to repair their relationship; Lisa ponders firing a longtime staff member.” Kent has gone back and forth with sobriety, as tonight’s episode indicates, but Hollywood Life reports that as this season of Vanderpump Rules airs, she is presently over 5 months sober.
According to Women’s Health Magazine, Kent revealed to her 1.1 million Instagram followers this past St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, 2019) that she has been battling alcoholism and taking steps to stay in control, addressing fans directly to say “Five months ago, I came to the realization that I am an alcoholic, and I am now a friend of Bill W. You’ll never know how much this program means to me. When I’m having the roughest day I could possibly have, I can for once see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Lala’s father passed away on April 21, 2018, which Lala says initiated her struggle with drug and alcohol use. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Kent opened up about how she used alcohol to cope with the grief of losing her father, saying “Drinking for me was medication instead of celebration. Instead of going and talking to somebody about losing someone extremely important to you, we turn to things to medicate. I just want to make sure that I put my voice out there to say, reach out to someone, reach out to a grief counselor, partner with someone who can make you feel like you’re not by yourself and going completely insane.” She revealed to the magazine that, at the time of the interview, she was 42 days sober, a change she said she knew she had to make: “When I really came to the conclusion that I am in that zone of having a problem, I just said enough’s enough. I picked up the phone, I called this sponsor that had been recommended to me. It’s the best decision of my whole life.” That interview took place in December 2018, months before Kent discussed her alcoholism on social media.
One week ago, Kent paid tribute to her father on social media on what would have been his birthday, writing “I still haven’t accepted you’re not here anymore. I’ve been with you, on this day, for the last 28 years. I miss you. Happy birthday, dad.” While it is clear (and understandable) that she is still mourning her loss, what she has chosen to share with her fanbase indicates she is taking care of herself with the support of her fianceé Randall Emmett, who she told Cosmopolitan “is just like [her] dad.”
Tune in to Vanderpump Rules on Bravo, Monday nights at 9/8c.