Lala Kent in Talks to Join 'The Valley' After 'Pump Rules' Finale

May 09 2024

Lala Kent is considering a role on “The Valley” following Tuesday night’s cryptic “Vanderpump Rules” Season 11 finale, Page Six has exclusively learned.

“Lala is in early talks to join ‘The Valley,’” an insider tells us, adding, “She is very connected with that cast. Those girls are her very good friends and mom crew.”

If she joins Bravo’s new unscripted series, our insider tells us that Kent, 33, is also expected to film the next installment of “Pump Rules” whenever it resumes production. 

“That’s her home,” the source says. “It’s not one or the other.” 

Bravo has yet to pick up “The Valley” for a second season and the network would not confirm any casting.

A rep for Kent didn't immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment.

During this week’s explosive “Pump Rules” finale, the majority of the cast turned on Ariana Madix for walking away from ex Tom Sandoval when he attempted to have an on-camera conversation with her. 

After Madix, 38, stormed out of a San Francisco-set party hosted by jeweler Kyle Chan, Sandoval, 41, claimed to his co-stars that the “Chicago” performer has “talked s–t” about them over the years. 

This prompted Kent to share her unfiltered thoughts on Madix’s continued refusal to film with Sandoval after he cheated on her with their former castmate and friend Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. 

“This happened to her. The world rallied around her,” she said, referring to the infidelity scandal, dubbed “Scandoval” by viewers.

“She now thinks she is Beyoncé. It’s bulls—t that she can’t film with someone because she stays under the same roof. It’s a lot. It’s a lot that she’s saying, ‘Don’t f—k with Tom Sandoval… But, I’m gonna sleep down the hall from Tom Sandoval.’”

With Sandoval standing nearby, Kent acknowledged that the Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras frontman “f—king cheated” and “did a really f—king s—tty thing.”

However, she emphasized that he “did not kill” anyone. 

“I never in my life experienced someone who gets cheated on and suddenly she becomes God,” Kent concluded.

Meanwhile, Madix made her way to a nearby Applebee’s to decompress with friends and her boyfriend, Daniel Wai. 

In a confessional, Kent explained why she found Madix leaving the event to be “a slap in the face.”

“This is what we do,” she said. “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…”

“And you think you get to be honest for one moment and then you get to pack it all away and all is good, f–k that.”

But Madix noted in her own confessional that she didn’t feel Sandoval’s attempt at making amends was genuine. 

“He’s never tried to talk to me off camera, he could have written something in a f–king letter and left it on the kitchen counter and I could have read it at my leisure,” she said. “But if you would only do it on camera, to me, you just showed your true colors.”

Kent and Madix’s dynamic only devolved during the “Pump Rules” Season 11 reunion taping. The “Give Them Lala” author’s friendship with Katie Maloney has also hit a slump. 

Conversely, her bond with Scheana Shay has strengthened. Notably, the “Good as Gold” singer, 38, is equally close to the “Valley” crew. 

The current cast includes Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, Kristen Doute, Luke Broderick, Nia Sanchez, Daniel Booko, Janet and Jason Caperna, Michelle and Jesse Lally, Zack Wickham and Jasmine Goode. 

As our source previously mentioned, the mothers in that specific social circle — including Kent, Shay, Cartwright, Sanchez, Janet and Michelle — often hang out. 

Last month, Kent — who shares daughter Ocean, 3, with ex-fiancé Randall Emmett and is expecting another child via sperm donor — told Access Hollywood’s “Housewives Nightcap” podcast that the family focus of “The Valley” could be a “really good fit” for her. 

“It’s an organic fit. Those people, I know, I hang out with, we get along, we get our kids together, we trick-or-treat on Halloween,” said the reality star, who recently purchased a home in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley where “The Valley” is mostly filmed.

“So if I ever got the call to do that, of course I would not say no.”

It seems as though Kent’s schedule is open to film “The Valley” — should it start production for its sophomore edition soon — as “Pump Rules” is on pause for the time being. 

An insider told Page Six last week that Bravo felt like the cast needed a break from the cameras in the wake of “Scandoval,” which resulted in additional filming over the last two seasons.

“Everyone needs a moment to decompress after two very rough, intense seasons,” the source said. “The cast is looking forward to a break from filming the show.”

Fans speculated that the Season 11 finale was a series finale due to its nostalgic undertones, including vignettes from the cast’s first confessionals filmed over the past decade-plus. 

However, our insider assured us that the series is not canceled: “Producers are excited to catch up with everyone when cameras eventually go back up.”

Part one of the “Vanderpump Rules” Season 11 reunion airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo followed by “The Valley” at 9 p.m. ET. 

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