Heavy/NBCUniversal James Kennedy and Lala Kent.
“Vanderpump Rules” stars Lala Kent and James Kennedy got into an argument about their castmate, Scheana Shay‘s dynamic with Tom Sandoval.
In the February 20 episode of the “Vanderpump Rules After Show,” alongside Kennedy and Shay, Kent referenced that the “Good as Gold” singer struggled to end her friendship with Sandoval after he cheated on her close friend, Ariana Madix, with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. Kent noted that Shay befriended Sandoval before she met Madix. Kennedy replied that he believed “in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter.” Kent did not appreciate the professional DJ’s response, stating, “It does matter, actually.”
“It wasn’t like [Shay] was best friends with Ariana and then she was like, ‘And this is my boyfriend.’ And he came with the [expletive] package. It’s that they had a standalone friendship. It doesn’t matter. [Shay] has history with Sandoval beyond the [expletive] relationship that he had with Ariana. That’s what it means,” continued the 33-year-old.
Shay interjected that she considered both Sandoval and Madix her best friends, which has made the situation difficult for her. Kennedy then stated that he did not believe Shay would be happy if she was in Madix’s position. Kent was quick to come to Shay’s defense.
“If you think, James, that every single one of us has not put ourselves in Ariana’s situation, you are out of your [expletive] mind,” said Kent.
She also suggested that she did not believe Madix had the right to cut ties with individuals who spend time with Sandoval because they had continued to live in the same Valley Village home after their breakup.
“The difference here is you don’t get to roll up on people and tell them, ‘You don’t get to kick it with Tom Sandoval. But I’m going to go home where he sleeps, I sleep down the hall.’ It don’t work that way,” stated Kent while clapping.
Kent then stated she empathized with Shay’s struggle to end her friendship with Sandoval.
“It has been an internal conflict for her. And no one gives her any grace. So let’s give Scheana a little bit of [expletive] grace,” said the “Give Them Lala” podcast host.
Ariana Madix Shared Her Thoughts About Scheana Shay’s Feelings Regarding Tom Sandoval
During the “Vanderpump Rules After Show” episode, Shay mentioned she brought up she was concerned about Sandoval’s struggle with his mental health to Madix and Katie Maloney in season 11, episode 4. In the same “Vanderpump Rules After Show” episode, Madix stated that she believed the situation “was sad for” Shay, as Sandoval has not been a good friend to her.
“I think it’s sad that she would then be seeking out validation or approval or anything from him,” said Madix.
Madix also stated that Shay should not try to get her support to be kind to Sandoval.
“Please feel however you feel. Please work through whatever you need to work through. Do what you want to do, even after he said and did those things to you. All of that fine and good. But don’t be asking for my approval,” said Madix.
Scheana Shay Discussed Having Difficulty Filming ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Season 11
In a December 2023 interview on “Bravo’s Hot Mic” podcast, Shay discussed her struggle filming “Vanderpump Rules” season 11, in light of Sandoval’s cheating scandal. She explained that she had to decide if she wanted to “stay Team Ariana” or “work towards a path of forgiveness.”
“It was this whole inner struggle all season long,” stated Shay.
Shay went on to say that she does not “know that Ariana will ever understand how hard this was on [her].”
“Yes, it didn’t happen to me. I wasn’t cheated on. But there was a lot that he did do, personally, to me,” said Shay. “And I’m always someone who always tries to work towards a path of forgiveness. Because that’s just who I am.”
Ariana Madix Discussed Filming ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Season 11 Following Her March 2023 Breakup
During a February 9 appearance on “The Today Show,” Madix opened up about filming “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 after her March 2023 split from Sandoval. She stated that shooting the show’s 11th season “was very difficult.”
“The new season started filming like very, very soon after we filmed the [season 10] reunion. There’s not a lot of time, there’s not a lot of space there. There’s not a lot of life lived in between the reunion and filming this new season,” said Madix.
New episodes of “Vanderpump Rules” air on Tuesdays on Bravo.