Lala Kent opened up about her close connection with James Kennedy — including why she calls her Vanderpump Rules costar a soulmate.
During an Instagram Q&A on Sunday, June 25, Kent, 32, responded to a fan question about how their bond has gotten stronger over the years.
“Soulmates come in many forms. I don’t think that ‘soulmate’ only means an intimate partner. So yes, James is one of my soulmates,” the beauty mogul replied via Instagram Story alongside a photo of her and Kennedy, 31.
The pair quickly formed a friendship when Kent made her Vanderpump Rules debut in 2015. Kennedy tried to make a move on Kent as he parted ways with Kristen Doute — but their flirty back and forth ultimately fizzled out.
During season 10, however, Kent admitted that she had sex with the DJ in 2016 when they were both in relationships. (The Utah native was dating Randall Emmett at the time. Kennedy, for his part, went public with Raquel Leviss earlier that year.)
“James and I when we were both very new in our relationships definitely hooked up,” Kent revealed to Katie Maloney on a February episode of the hit Bravo series, which filmed in July 2022. “We went to Chicago [in 2016] and we started drinking before we got on the plane. That’s why he said I do handstands because I definitely do handstands.”
After Kent filled Leviss, 28, in on her past with Kennedy, the former beauty queen put them on blast. (Leviss and Kennedy announced their split during the season 9 reunion, which aired in January 2022.)
“Really, Lala? You’re going to sit there and judge me for hypothetically making out with Tom Schwartz, yet you slept with my boyfriend while we were together? You’re such a hypocrite,” Leviss said in a February confessional after previously discussing her feelings for Schwartz on screen amid his divorce from Maloney, 37. (Schwartz, 40, and Leviss hooked up at Scheana Shay and Brock Davies‘ wedding in August 2022.)
Off screen, however, things took a turn when Us Weekly confirmed in March that Leviss had been having an affair with Tom Sandoval for months. The TomTom cofounder, 40, and Ariana Madix ultimately called it quits following a nearly decade-long romance due to his infidelity.
Kent quickly took to social media to show her support for Madix, 38, amid the drama. After fans called the podcast host a hypocrite for calling out Sandoval, the Give Them Lala author clarified how her situation with Kennedy differed.
“Since so many wanna point out James and I hooking up. Let’s not forget that reunion where R*quel said ‘We really started our relationship after I moved in with him,’” she captioned an Instagram selfie of her and Kennedy in March. “And we now know R*ndall was indeed married at the time (& lied about it), and you can’t cheat on a married person — so as far as I’m concerned, James and I were two single people having a goooood time. Enough with your noise. It’s starting to sound like S*ndovals band and it’s hurting my freshly pinned back ears.”
The TV personality also weighed in on how Leviss was originally positioned to be the fan favorite during season 10.
“She would have won the season. She would have been the No. 1 chick as she is sobbing about making up for lost time,” Kent said during a May episode of her podcast, referring to Leviss’ emotional confessionals about her split from Kennedy. “Do we think she was crying so heavily because she was feeling guilty? The line was crossed well before [Raquel and Sandoval] had sex. The emotional affair had already started.”
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At the time, Kent said she wasn’t ruling out a possible redemption arc for Leviss, adding, “As much as I slam her every chance I get, beyond that I do see a broken person. I do not think she is heartless and soulless.”
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