Lala Kent says she can empathize with Ariana Madix’s post-breakup struggles. But she still has some questions.
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During the April 3 episode of the Give Them Lala podcast, the Vanderpump Rules mom spoke candidly about Ariana’s highly publicized split from Tom Sandoval and the events that closely followed. Lala explained she didn’t expect Ariana to simply “get over” the betrayal, as her resentment toward Tom was completely warranted; however, she said the situation left her confused because there was a disconnect between Ariana’s rhetoric and actions.
“I get it. You’re allowed to not let it go and go insane on him. Got it,” Lala said before mentioning her own relationship split. “The problem I’m having here is you’re using all of these words that I very much feel; I can literally sit here and have empathy because I’ve felt those same things. The difference here is you choose to stay in the house. And everyone can say [Tom] should have left. I agree, but we now know who Tom Sandoval is.”
Lala Kent addresses Ariana Madix’s living situation with Tom Sandoval
Lala was referencing Ariana’s awkward living situation that’s been well documented in Vanderpump Rules Season 11. In the year since Tom’s admitted infidelity, the former couple continued to cohabitate in the $2 million Valley Village home they purchased in 2019, but have tried to maintain a “no-contact policy.”
“So let’s not sit here and be like, I can’t believe [Tom] wouldn’t move out. He’s shown who he is,” Lala said. “So now we have to take control of the things we can control, which are ourselves. If he’s making you feel this way and you’re staying in the house, I got questions.”
Lala Kent has questions about Ariana Madix’s relationship with Daniel Wai
Lala then turned her direction toward Ariana’s romantic life, wondering how she managed to “move on” so fast after her messy breakup.
“If he makes you lose your mind like this and you are traumatized by what he has done, I wanna know how you can move on to a new boyfriend in 10 days,” Lala continued. “I’m genuinely wondering this, because when someone’s using the same words that I’m using — and I feel for you. I want you to shed knowledge on how you can stay in the same house and get a boyfriend in 10 days. How do you compartmentalize? I don’t understand it.”
Weeks after Ariana and Tom called it quits, the Broadway actress began dating her current boyfriend, Daniel Wai — a New York-based fitness trainer she met at a March 2023 wedding. Ariana dished on her new beau in Vanderpump Rules Season 11, Episode 2, saying Dan had “opened [her] eyes to a lot of different possibilities.”
“In retrospect, Tom being my partner affected my feelings on having kids a lot more than I thought it did,” she said in a February 6 episode interview. “I feel like, with Dan, I’ve kind of had my eyes opened to the fact that there are different types of partners out there who would actually be a real 50/50 partner, or if I can only give 10 percent that day, he’s ready to give 90.”
Lisa Vanderpump speaks on Lala Kent and Ariana Madix’s drama
Ariana and Lala’s fallout will be further explored in the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 reunion, which taped on March 16. SUR matriarch Lisa Vanderpump teased the “emotionally draining” special and reflected on what went down between the former friends.
“It was very complicated,” Lisa told Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea. “I wouldn’t say Ariana eviscerated Lala… I don’t think Lala ever wastes any time letting anybody know what she feels which is why we kind of like her.”
So, does Lisa anticipate a Lala-Ariana reconciliation? Well, she believes anything is possible.
“Have you seen how those dynamics change? They change quicker than most people change their underwear,” she joked. “You just think, ‘I’ve got this now. That’s never going to happen. A line’s in the sand,’ and then they jump over it. This group is very outspoken but also pretty forgiving if you think [about] what we’ve been through.”
