Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ seven-month-long affair came as a complete shock to most of the world. And especially to Tom’s girlfriend of nearly a decade, Ariana Madix. But as we’ve seen while watching the show and listening to the cast of Vanderpump Rules’ podcast interviews, there was always one cast member they couldn’t fool: her name is Lala Kent.
Throughout Lala’s run on the show, she has always been outspoken, opinionated, and unafraid to stand up to those who try her — this season is no different, especially when there’s so much at stake.
In a new interview with Variety, Lala gave fans a deep dive into her thought process while filming Season 10 of the hit Bravo show. At the time, no one could confirm that a salacious affair was occurring behind the scenes, but now that it’s public knowledge, Lala’s gut feelings were right.
Lala feels “vindicated” by Tom and Raquel’s affair
Toward the end of the season, viewers started to see Lala place together pieces of Tom and Raquel’s sketchy relationship. She couldn’t say for sure. But, after one too many coincidences, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t quite right.
“I just knew something was wrong. I don’t know that I would put my life on it at that point in time, but I would have bet a large sum of money that something was happening,” she said. “It crossed my mind at the time. I was like, ‘I’m going to be roasted. They’re going to crucify me at the reunion!’”
Although the cast didn’t find out about the affair until March 2023, Tom Sandoval confided in Tom Schwartz. Turns out he told him about his infidelity in August 2022. After that, both men went on a smear campaign. They appeared to make Ariana look like the bad guy so Sandoval’s actions would be justified. It’s been gross for viewers to watch, but for Lala, it hit close to home.
“It made me sick to my stomach, because you can see exactly what they were doing,” she said. “They were prepping the audience to make Ariana seem like she was not a good partner, so that when he decided to leave her when that happened, the audience would be understanding. But the universe doesn’t work that way. If you’re being dirty, it will reveal you for who you are and what you’ve been doing.”
Ultimately, Sandoval and Rachel were found out in the worst possible way: on national television. However, knowing that Sandoval, Schwartz, and even Jax Taylor have all taken part in covering up each other’s wrongdoings makes watching them drown in this scandal even better.
“Well, that’s why I feel so vindicated. I hate that this happened to my friend Ariana, but that bitch is thriving,” Lala finished.
Vanderpump Rules continues Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK LALA HAS BEEN VINDICATED? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TOMS AFTER PART ONE OF THE REUNION?
