Heavy/Getty/NBCUniversal Stars from "Vanderpump Rules" cashed in on scandal.
The stars of “Vanderpump Rules” are still reeling from Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ shocking cheating scandal, but some of them are taking their anger right to the bank.
On the June 7, 2023 episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” host Andy Cohen asked VPR veteran Lala Kent point blank about her targeted merch sales in the aftermath of Scandoval, and she revealed she has no qualms about cashing in.
When Cohen asked Kent how much she made on the merch related to the scandal, she replied, “I can say that it allowed me to pay the down payment on my home and that was, like, within a few hours.”
Lala Kent Marketed Sweatshirts With a Scandoval Catchphrase Just as She Bought a $1.3 Million House in Palm Springs
On WWHL, Cohen addressed how several “Vanderpump Rules” cast members have prospered since Scandoval broke.
“With all due, I mean Tom and Raquel did something really stupid,” he said. “[But] It’s caused huge ratings. Ariana is thriving… she got out of the relationship but is thriving in such a significant way. I mean she’s got a cute new boyfriend, she has so many endorsements, you just paid for your down payment. I mean, [Madix and Katie Maloney’s] sandwich shop is kind of a guaranteed hit.”
Kent replied to say that she saw no reason not to capitalize on the situation. “I mean, I don’t think we should be thanking them, but at the same time we can’t change it so you might as well, you know, capitalize,” she said.
Kent then detailed the sales of her Sandoval-inspired “Send It to Darrell” hoodies. The idea was dreamed up after she went on a social media rant about an email she received from Leviss’ lawyer. Kent, in turn, told her nemesis to send all correspondence to her attorney, Darrell Miller. “Send it to Darrell!” she said.
As her catchphrase caught fire on social media, Kent released sweatshirts with the phrase on them.
“The amount of money that we made on ‘Send It to Darrell’ is pretty mind-blowing,” she told Cohen. “I work as a team … it’s always a win. .. And I asked him (Darrell Miller) you know, can I do this and he was totally cool with it.”
In an interview with Page Six, Kent said it was the perfect storm of the scandal and her lawyer’s name that made the merch a hit. “If I said, ‘Send it to John,’ it would not have hit the same,” she admitted, before revealing that she immediately contacted her vendor, Homemade Merch, for an emergency hoodie production.
“I called my merch team and said, ‘I don’t know how we make this happen before the day is over, but like this has to happen now. I don’t care how it gets done. Make it happen.’ And they freaking did it!” she said.
The hoodies sold for $50 each. While Kent didn’t give an exact final figure for sales, her tease that she earned enough to put a downpayment on her house means she made a significant profit.
According to The Dirt, Kent bought a $1.3 million home in Palm Springs, California, as her co-stars’ scandal broke.
Ariana Madix Has Made a Fortune Since Scandoval Broke
Kent isn’t the only one tallying up profits. In March 2023, Madix and her business partner Katie Maloney launched a merch line of hats, tees, and more to raise money for their Something About Her sandwich shop, to the tune of $200,000, per The Hollywood Reporter.
In the three months since her relationship with Sandoval ended, Madix has also landed a steady stream of endorsement deals. She has partnered with SoFi, Lay’s, Bic, Bloomingdales, Uber One, and more, according to Variety.
She even jumped on her ex’s crude reunion comment about how she kept her t-shirt on during sex with him. “She kept her shirt on the entire time…it was so hot,” Sandoval sarcastically said during the June 7, 2023 “Vanderpump Rules” finale. Madix has been vocal about her body image issues, so Sandoval’s body-shaming comment was especially cutting.
But just as the final part of the “Vanderpump Rules” reunion aired, Madix got in the last word. On June 7, she quickly launched a new piece of merch: a $34.99 grey t-shirt that features her holding a sandwich with a message that reads “F*** me in this t-shirt.”
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