Martin Scorsese Loves Lala Kent’s Work, and You Will Too
Lala Kent is leaning back in a chair in her Beverly Hills office. Sporting a white sweatshirt emblazoned with her catchphrase “Send It to Darrell,” the petite, fiery Vanderpump Rules star is flanked by white shelves lined with Lala Kent merch, #Give Them Lala Beauty products, and copies of her book Give Them Lala. Perched atop the highest of these shelves is a framed photo of Lala and 50 Cent, who was once locked in a feud with her after airing out her ex, Randall Emmett, on Instagram for allegedly owing him $1 million (he even compared the direct-to-video movie producer to Harvey Weinstein, which turned out to be rather prescient — but more on that later).
“It’s really strange,” Kent muses. “People in Hollywood are OK with lawyers, OK with the court system, but they are not OK with being publicly blasted.”
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It’s been around eight years since Kent entered the lion’s den that is Vanderpump Rules. The Bravo reality series chronicles the day-to-day lives of the hard-partying workers at Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant SUR, and early seasons of the show depicted Kent entangled in a messy relationship with a then-married Emmett — whose name she never uttered — leading to her being bullied and slut-shamed by her colleagues. Kent, who was only 24 at the time, would respond by “numbing” herself with booze and lashing out.
Now, she’s in a much different place. She and her baby daughter, Ocean, escaped the clutches of Emmett after the Los Angeles Times exposed him as a predatory grifter. She’s single and running her various businesses — including a podcast, Give Them Lala — to support Ocean, as well as foot the heavy legal bills she’s facing while battling for custody with Emmett. Kent is also set to address her ugly past with Emmett in The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing and Vanderpump, a new documentary airing May 22 on Hulu.
“I still, to this day, have not had the time to process the trauma that I’ve went through,” Kent explains. “But the only thing that it’s affected so far is my love life. And it’s not doing well, bitch! I’m still doing background checks on guys. I have a PI. He gave me a discount because I send so many names to him.”
The 32-year-old has also found herself involved in another controversy — only this time on the outside looking in. That would be “Scandoval,” or the revelation that Vanderpump Rules cast member Tom Sandoval had been cheating on his partner of close to a decade, Ariana Madix, with Raquel Leviss, Madix’s best friend and confidant (and the ex-fianceé of Sandoval’s friend, DJ James Kennedy). Kent was one of the first people on the show to suss out the situation because, she says, her experience with Emmett’s turned her into the ultimate red flag detector.
“I get it,” she says, turning her attention toward her pal Madix. “The levels that you will go to to defend the person you’re with because of the illusion they’ve created. You could be the most self-aware, but when someone like Sandoval or my ex get their claws into you, you’re depleted and feed into the illusion they create. They’re impeccable at what they do, and no one is safe who comes into contact with them.”
“Scandoval” has also turned Vanderpump Rules into one of the most popular, talked-about shows on television — a rarity for a reality series in its 10th season, especially one that had almost completely jumped the shark. Kent, along with Vanderpump and Madix, recently found themselves at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (and into host Roy Wood Jr.’s set); everyone from Rihanna and Selena Gomez to Jennifer Lawrence count themselves as superfans; and the show took home an MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Reality On-Screen Team.
Kent, for one, is glad that others are now seeing what she saw long ago when it comes to Sandoval, and is just as much of an open book in person as you’d expect.
During a reunion appearance, you mentioned how Martin Scorsese told you he’s a fan of Vanderpump Rules. Do you think he’s a watcher?
He actually said to me, “You do great work.” His producing partner at the time was a Vanderpump fanatic, so it could have been shown to him that way as well. I don’t know if he’s tuning in every Wednesday to catch the new episode of Vanderpump Rules, but Martin Scorsese knows that Vanderpump Rules exists. And that is good enough for me.
I feel like you and Katie could fit in in a Scorsese movie as some baddies.
I do too! Because Katie is giving mob boss this season. I always say, “I’m the barker and I’m the threat, but she’s the fuckin’ shooter.”
How did you go from Utah to landing as a hostess at SUR and on Vanderpump Rules?
The first time I moved to L.A., I was 19 and fresh out of high school. My two best friends since childhood were working at SUR, and I would go there and get wasted. I moved back home because I thought I wanted to go to college, didn’t, and moved back to L.A. at 23. My two friends are still working at SUR, and I’m auditioning. I go to an audition, and the sign-in sheet looked different. There was now a column that asked for your social media handle and following. I was like, “This is weird.” I was defeated. I left. I went to SUR that night, I’m drinking, and I have this genuine connection to everybody that’s working there because I’ve been 101 times. I was there when Jax and Stassi first met in Las Vegas at a magic show. Lisa happened to be there that night and asked me if I needed a job, because they were looking for a hostess, and with that came a spot on the show.
Seems a lot more natural than Raquel’s mother taking her to see a DJ James Kennedy set.
Way more natural.
You and DJ James Kennedy seem to have a special connection. Your interactions have a different energy and you two have some similarities. You’re not as bad, but when someone comes at you, you both seem to go into fight-or-flight mode — usually fight.
I think so as well. I think the reason for that is I will never forget being new to SUR and him being the one that was very down for me. He created a safe space in a world I was completely unfamiliar with. The girls don’t really welcome you with open arms — you have to prove yourself, which I respect — and I had moved to L.A. from Salt Lake City, Utah, and that was enough to make me feel like I was floundering. He made me feel safe and respected. That created the bond that can’t be broken. And then the ups and downs. I feel our stories are pretty parallel. I always say to him, “If I ever get married, you will be the Man of Honor.”
Do you think you guys would make a good couple? And did you ever actually try dating?
I would say that we went to dinners and things like that in Season Four, but I work in two different zones. I don’t picture him as the stepfather. [Laughs] And I love Ally [Lewber]. I think he finally has a good one. I know neither of us feel the romantic connection. I believe any intimacy we had was alcohol-fueled. I don’t think we ever made out sober. But we’re always gonna be homies for the rest of my life.
In this season, Detective Lala was really the first person on the scene when it comes to Scandoval. You caught wind of that early and knew something wasn’t right.
You wanna know what’s so crazy? I’m by no means a detective. Kristen Doute is a detective — going through cellphones, tracking locations, getting the Uber receipts. But for me, being in the situation I was in with my ex, once that mask fell, I feel like everyone’s did. Everything in me was hypersensitive to things. And I have to say, at the very beginning, even producers were thinking I was crazy and laughing at what I was saying [regarding Scandoval] and asking me, “What did you even see that makes you feel this way?” And I would go, “You’re gonna laugh: I haven’t seen anything. It’s just my gut.” And then, as time went on, there were little things where I was like, “This just isn’t normal.” Going back to my stuff with James, I speak from experience: When you have a friendship like that, and then you add alcohol, lines are crossed.
When did you first think something wasn’t right? People seem to think that Sandoval and Raquel first started hooking up when she fled the Vegas/Havasu trip and crashed boys’ night at the Mondrian.
So, that would have been in July. This did not air, but I said at one point: “We’re focusing on the wrong Tom here.” For me, it was watching him pay more attention to Raquel than his own girlfriend — and the levels he would go to to defend Raquel. There was a scene at Scheana’s wedding that didn’t make it where Sandoval pulled me aside to school me about how I treat Raquel when he wasn’t even there with us. I told him, “You will not suck me into this.” He loves to suck you into this hamster wheel and take you down a million avenues until you’re fucking exhausted. I thought, “People don’t ride that hard for the opposite sex when they’re not fucking that person.”
And then you caught him in that lie about staying at the Labor Day barbecue in Newport with Raquel instead of going home to comfort Ariana when her grandmother died.
It was so crazy. I experienced [his lying] in real time when I said, “I was there when your ride left. I was standing right there. I watched you give him a hug.” That was the first time I’d seen Sandoval not have one thing to say. It was awesome. And then watching it? It was like, wow, this is so uncomfortable. But then Sandoval went to be with Ariana when her dad died. It’s the pattern of behavior. He showed up for Ariana then when he had Kristen as a girlfriend.
I heard that when you watch, you skip through the scenes with Sandoval and Schwartz.
I do. Very boring. It’s the same storyline: woke up late, can’t get anything done, I’m drunk.
Have you seen his cover band Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras?
[Laughs] I have never exposed myself, or my eardrums, to Sandoval’s band. I heard they’re giving out two-for-one tickets in certain venues now.
There is this weird element of it now where his shows are selling out. So he does this terrible thing, and then goes on tour with his silly band and gets to capitalize on it.
It goes back to what I’ve said from the jump: He’s a narcissist. He did what he did to his girlfriend of nine years. His “lover,” Raquel, is said to be in a mental health facility, which to me is no joke, and you’re traveling around in your cover band singing other people’s great work, still being uninteresting, but taking whatever attention you can get because you’re a narcissist? I think he’s a narcissistic sociopath, but that’s just my humble opinion and I don’t have a Ph.D. whatsoever.
How has Scandoval divided the cast? What are the allegiances now?
For me, even though I feel so bad for Ariana, it’s great that she’s thriving. Even though it sounds bad, I’m going to say that I felt extremely vindicated. I’ve been on the outs with this group for a long time because I didn’t like Sandoval, and it put me on the outs with Ariana because I didn’t fuck with her man. And I’ve never been able to stand Raquel. So, my life has stayed the same, but now I have a group behind me. Basically, it’s everybody and then Sandoval and Schwartz and Raquel are on their own island. I don’t even know if they talk as much as they used to. Sandoval’s so whiny. And the swooping of the hair while he’s talking? Ugh. I’m so happy everyone can’t stand him. Finally!
How do you feel about Schwartz? You really gave him the business in a recent episode, and he had it coming for a while. He puts on this Midwest aw-shucks thing, but then will get drunk and call women “bitch” and pour drinks on them.
I think he’s a covert narcissist. He’s very sweet and then after one too many will be making fun of my face, calling me corny, and then mocking a brand that I’ve put a lot of work into, day in and day out, to support my child. And then it’s off with your fucking head. I think his heart is in the right place, but he battles with his own self on a daily basis. Anyone who can’t pick a side isn’t for me. I don’t exist in the gray. Pick a side. He texted me on the anniversary of my dad’s death, which meant the world to me, but he needs to do a lot of self-work.
And him hanging out with Randall after the L.A. Times exposé was messed up, and then when you confronted him about it his response was something to the effect of, “I know a lot of people who cheated.” But that’s far from the extent of what Randall did. According to that article, he attacked you.
When he went and hung out with my ex, I couldn’t have been any clearer. That was the most vulnerable I’ve ever been in my entire life. I was broken down to my core. It wasn’t about the cheating. If it was just cheating, I could co-parent with this person and the court system wouldn’t be involved. This goes above and beyond someone just putting their dick where it didn’t belong. The fact that he couldn’t wrap his mind around that, I was like, “If you don’t do it for me, do it for yourself. This is a bad look for you, dude.” Nobody else in the group hung out with Randall after. Jax was still communicating with him, but I knew — and Jax has since said — that he had a very large sum of money to collect from Randall and Jax had a child to support, so I gave Jax a pass. Even Lisa [Vanderpump], who Randall was blowing up, cut ties with him.
Have you rewatched the early seasons where you’re calling Randall “my man” and not saying his name, sort of treating him like Voldemort?
It’s weird how it’s come full circle. In the beginning, when I started Vanderpump, I wasn’t saying his name to protect him. And now I’m not saying his name because it’s repulsive.
I heard that you always thought his full name was repulsive. And that’s why you got a “RAND” tattoo with Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly. How did that happen?
It was in Puerto Rico, and I remember Colson — or MGK — say he really wanted to get a tattoo, and he was wondering if anyone was a tattoo artist on the island we were on. I was like, “Oh my god, the girl who was our waitress does tattoos, and I want a tattoo.” So, we had her come to the room and she tattooed all three of us. I remember Megan telling me, “That’s a bold move” — as she’s getting a tribute tattoo to MGK on her collar bone — but I’d already had a plan for a cover-up if it didn’t’ work out. It now says, “BRAND NEW.” Because I would be brand new. Lala is brand new and revived. And I was in that relationship when Midnight in the Switchgrass was created, and I respect anytime someone shows up on set and someone puts their all into a film. But I will say: I was at that premiere, and my ex kept saying to me, “It’s really bad,” and I was like, “No …” It’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life. It was really, really bad.
And that was one of his Bruce Willis movies. In that L.A. Times story, it discussed how Randall was allegedly playing puppet master with someone who was losing their mental faculties.
If I wasn’t just Lala, I maybe would have been more vocal. What I experienced … Bruce Willis is an icon, and I was honored to be in more than one film with him. That’s something I will always cherish. But it was sad to see the people that were supposed to protect him not do that.
Did you seem him struggling on set?
I definitely saw some things. But it’s Bruce Willis, and I have a soft spot for him. There’s something in the eyes where I told him, “You kind of remind me of my dad.” There’s something in the eyes. I’m grateful that he’s surrounded by family now.
When did you feel that something was off with your ex, and how did you remove yourself from that toxic situation?
On October 15th, the pictures came out — the Nashville photos of him [with other women] — and I knew something was wrong and I was unsafe. It was a gut-punch, but I had a seven-month-old. I literally called my lawyer that night — I sent it to Darrell — and I said, “This is so confidential: I’m leaving my relationship. This is what I’m aware of.” I started going through my DMs and seeing heinous accusations against my ex, and that’s when I knew we were entering a custody battle. My ex did say to me, “The second you start going through your DMs, we’ll break up.” And I just thought nothing of that. How sad is that? But my daughter is the silver lining to everything. And I was not allowed to leave my house, with my daughter, or I would be threatened with police. I couldn’t eat … I could barely function. But I knew that not only was I taking on a tremendous amount of legal fees that were going to come my way, but my life would be different. I was grateful to my mom, who came out to help me, and my gusbands.
What can you tell me about the reunion? We already know that Scheana may have struck Raquel.
I know for a fact that Scheana never punched Raquel. Call me Bill Nye the Fuckin’ Science Guy: Impossible to make a fist with the nails that my client had on. Raquel is a thousand feet tall. How’s Scheanna gonna left hook this ho? Impossible. Beyond a reasonable doubt. You lose. The jury says it didn’t happen. I can tell you that the reunion was utter chaos. They definitely should’ve had cages for us. James and I were off our fuckin’ rockers, and people are gonna be shocked. Scheana couldn’t be in the same room as Raquel. I definitely saged myself when I got home. It was the first time coming home from a reunion where I felt gross.
What does the future of Vanderpump Rules look like post-Scandoval?
If we’re able to get another season — we haven’t gotten word on anything — I would love to see some of the OG cast members, who are very much still in the friend group, reappear on Vanderpump Rules. But I don’t have the power to do any of that. I would love to see Jax and Brittany back, and I would love to see [Kristen] Doute back. As far as the future of the show goes, though, I have no idea because I didn’t expect any of this to happen. This is our real lives.
I saw you were recently at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and I spoke with Roy Wood Jr. the morning after about his set. He told me he slid that Vanderpump Rules joke in the morning of the dinner comparing Tom Sandoval to Tucker Carlson. What was that like and how did you end up there?
Lisa [Vanderpump] was actually shocked when she saw me. I was a guest of the Los Angeles Times, and she and Ariana [Madix] were Daily Mail, so we didn’t get to sit at the same table but went to the parties together. You know, it was the first time in my life that I had impostor syndrome. I was very nervous. I have joined forces with Tina Swithin — she started the organization One Mom’s Battle, and fought for the well-being and custody of her children for 10 years and represented herself in court — and when I entered into this family court system, I saw a world that I did not know existed. I felt that going to this White House Correspondents’ Dinner would allow me to meet lawmakers who I would one day come in contact with because of the work I’m doing for Kayden’s Law, which is a law that essentially states children’s rights and their well-being will always trump parental rights. I’m going up to these people, they’d tell me who they are, and I’d tell them about Kayden’s Law, but then the conversation would always go back to Scandoval.
Did anyone approach you at the Correspondents’ Dinner to talk Vanderpump Rules and surprised you with their fandom? Was Chuck Schumer like, “So, about Scandoval …”
A lot of people were surprised by us being there, but at the end of the day we’re American voters who have a lot of influence in culture. People who produce news for CNN were like, “We have a separate group chat for Vanderpump Rules.” I met a politician from Texas who was a huge fan of the show. It was crazy to see the amount of reach in a world I look up to, because if there’s one thing I want to be it’s a smart bitch. I want to be in that world, and all the worlds, and I know reality TV can put you in a box. This was my moment to show people that I’m not in a box. It was a very surreal experience. I’m a sober chick who has social anxiety you wouldn’t know I had, so I feel like I did the night correctly.
Have you always had social anxiety?
My social anxiety goes back to being a child, and I think that’s why I loved alcohol so much — because it numbed that. Alcohol was always a social lubricant and then turned into a numbing lubricant on every level. So, once I got sober, I had to really train myself. My career makes me be out there, so it took a lot of work to get over that and realize that my mental health and self-care is very important. When I’m thrown into a situation with a lot of people and activity, I have to take a moment to recharge.
How do you deal with having cameras in your face all the time?
We’re reality-TV personalities — we’re not actresses. Our egos all are so huge that we’re like, “Put a camera in my face at all times because I feel like I’m that special.” I live in front of the camera and thrive in front of the camera. It fuels my soul, and I really fuckin’ enjoy it. I used to be the one actor filming who would stay after, kick it with the crew, and drink. Now, I’m the one where when the cameras stop I go, “This was so much fun! Catch y’all tomorrow.” I’ve conquered the art of making Sundays and Mondays, when we do not film, being self-care days. We film Tuesday to Saturday. And I’ve learned that this is what I’ve always wanted to do, so being able to compartmentalize, and separating “reality” from reality, was something I had to learn. Because this is real life but it’s also a produced show.
How scripted is Vanderpump Rules? There was a recent moment on the show that seemed very scripted. Ken comes into the kitchen holding a puppy while Lisa is tasting sandwiches with Katie and says something to the effect of, “So, Lisa … that was crazy what you told me the other night about Raquel in the jacuzzi at Tom Sandoval’s house while Ariana was out of town.” It seemed pretty … unnatural.
OK, because you’re with Rolling Stone, I’m going to spill it to you: Lisa is the head of Vanderpump Rules. She does not want to get involved in the drama. This ain’t Housewives. You respect the queen. So, I believe — I may know — that Ken was the sacrificial lamb there. Lisa did not want to be the one to deliver this, but Lisa had told Ken this mind-blowing information, so Ken was the deliverer.
There was an incident this season that I thought was so funny. You were on a double date with Katie and your date revealed he hadn’t seen The Lion King, and you just bounced.
I don’t think any man stands a chance when it comes to getting with Lala because everything is a red flag. There used to be no red flags, which is how I got with my ex, but now even not seeing The Lion King is a red flag. So is thinking Finding Dory is better than Finding Nemo.
To go back to your daughter, Ocean, for second: Do you play Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” for her?
“Ocean Eyes” was the one song I played for her throughout my entire pregnancy. That’s what I listened to to get her to sleep. I still listen to it and sob my eyes out. One day, if I can afford to have her perform “Ocean Eyes” for Ocean’s birthday, I will lose my shit.
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