DWTS Alum’s Pregnant Co-Star Suggests She Threatened Her Livelihood

Heavy/ABC "Dancing With the Stars" celebrity news update.

“Dancing With the Stars”  alum Ariana Madix  is still getting heat for what may have been her final act on “Vanderpump Rules.”

The DWTS season 32 finalist, who was partnered with pro dancer Pasha Pashkov for her third-place finish in 2023, was seemingly called out by her TV co-star Lala Kent over her refusal to film a one-on-one scene with her ex, Tom Sandoval, during the season 11 finale of their Bravo reality show.

Kent, who is a single mom pregnant with her second child, told Parents.com that the filming drama turned her into a “warrior” for her children because she relies on the paycheck from “Vanderpump Rules.”

“I’ve always been a pretty intense person and I’ve always been protective, but the moment you have a kid? You turn into a warrior,” Kent told the outlet. “Anyone who comes in and tries to threaten the wellbeing of your children and how you provide for them is not going to be taken kindly.”

Kent went on to say she does not regret facing off with Madix about the situation during the “Vanderpump Rules” reunion. “I stand by what I said at that reunion,” she said. “I was deeply offended because no one was going to come in and take food off of my table. I’m a mama bear and anyone who doesn’t understand that? Not my problem.”

Lala Kent Said It Was Ariana Madix’s Responsibility to Show Up Last Season on ‘Vanderpump Rules’

PeacockLala Kent, Katie Maloney, Ariana Madix

Madix received many lucrative opportunities in the aftermath of Sandoval’s shocking cheating scandal with their former co-star Rachel Leviss. In addition to her DWTS spot, she  landed a starring role in the Broadway musical “Chicago.” She also scored a summer-long hosting gig  on Peacock’s “Love Island USA.”

But Kent felt Madix changed after she received so much public support. In the “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 finale episode, titled “Plot Twist,”  Madix walked out of the cast’s finale event in San Francisco after Sandoval tried to approach her. “Vanderpump Rules” executive producer Jeremiah Smith begged Madix to stay. “Ariana don’t do this,” the Bravo producer said on camera. “Don’t end like this.”

After Madix left the venue, Kent accused her of not doing her job.

“I never in my life experienced someone who gets cheated on and suddenly she becomes God,” Kent cracked in the episode. In a confessional, she added, “This is what we do. We’ve been doing this for most of our adult lives. We’ve all experienced high highs and low lows and there’s a responsibility that comes with living your life on camera. You have to be truthful, even when it’s extremely uncomfortable.”

During the reunion, Kent called Madix’s decision to walk out of the finale party “a slap in the face.” She also noted that it put her livelihood at risk.

Speaking on the “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast in June, Kent said Madix should have brought it all during season 11 because the affair scandal was the main storyline. “For many, many seasons before this happened, it was like it was OK for her to kind of be in the background,” Kent said of Madix. “It was fine. It worked well. [Now] you’re the main story, babe. I’m going to need a little bit of something.”

Ariana Madix Said Her Exit Made for a Better Ending to the Season

PeacockAriana Madix walks out of the “Vanderpump Rules” finale.

During the “Vanderpump Rules” reunion, Kent told Madix that even if she didn’t care about “Vanderpump Rules,” she needed to care that it was her co-stars’ livelihood.

Madix fired back to claim she gave producers the best ending they could have asked for by walking out. “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,” she said to Kent. “Was that not a better ending to your season, to give you another season for another paycheck?”

Kent countered with, “Had I not spoken my mind, it would’ve ended with you walking out the door.”

Madix elaborated on her stance in an episode of  Katie Maloney and Dayna Kathan‘s “Disrespectfully” podcast. “Here’s the thing that’s so stupid,” she said. “I gave them the best [expletive] ending to what that season could have had in that moment by leaving. It was real and it was exciting to watch. Sorry, if you literally are only looking at it from a perspective of like good reality TV, I gave you good reality TV. [A conversation with Sandoval] would have been a boring cap to a boring [expletive] season, to be honest.”