The future of Vanderpump Rules remains unclear — but there might be an update soon.
A source close to production revealed in the newest issue of Us Weekly that “discussions are still ongoing” regarding season 12. The update comes as the cast continues to field questions about the future of the series.
“I feel like we still have a lot of story to tell,” Tom Sandoval told Us earlier this month at the release party for The Unofficial Vanderpump Rules Ultimate Trivia Book by Thea De Sousa at SUR. “[But] it’s not up to me. I’m not the EP. I’m not the network.”
Sandoval, 42, added: “I’m hopeful it continues on. We’re just gonna wait and see what happens.”
Lala Kent, for her part, had a different take when asked about her current status with costar Ariana Madix, telling Jeff Lewis that a reconciliation between the two women “will never happen.”
“Let’s just say there’s no more story to tell. Right? There’s only two people to blame for that and that’s Sandoval and Raquel [Leviss]. Ariana, I will always be a cheerleader [for her],” Lala, 34, said during her Tuesday, October 22, appearance on Jeff Lewis Live. “She was absolutely fantastic on Broadway. I heard she killed it on Love Island. I’ve never watched the show and certainly did not start watching because we were not good.”
She continued: “I have no ill feelings about anybody on the show. I think that’s what feels — for the first time — like I am at peace.”
Since the 2013 premiere of Vanderpump Rules, the hit Bravo series has filmed new episodes in the summer, which start airing in the winter. The first summer not captured by cameras was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the ratings have never been higher for VPR, the aftermath of Sandoval’s affair with Rachel — and subsequence split from Ariana, 39 — has left their costars found divided.
Ariana initially received support from most of the cast, including Lala, Scheana Shay, James Kennedy and Katie Maloney. Some loyalties shifted as they kept filming the rest of the season. The season 11 finale — and the subsequent three-part reunion special — hinted at a fractured fiend group with multiple cast members frustrated with Ariana for not filming with Sandoval.
In response, Ariana stood her ground and even called out production for having the cast watch the final scene from the reunion together, seemingly in an effort to get her to talk to Sandoval.
“It felt, ‘Well, we have her trapped in this room now. We didn’t get what we wanted to get [during the finale]. We didn’t get to break her down in real life in the moment,'” Ariana explained on Katie, 37, and Dayna Kathan’s “Disrespectfully” podcast in May. “‘So we’re gonna retaliate by doing that right now in a place where she’s contractually obligated to be here and try to force this moment now.’ Great, I cried. Are you guys happy now?”
Ariana also defended her decision to walk away at the end of the finale instead of sticking around when Sandoval ambushed her.
“Here’s the thing that’s so stupid. I gave them the best f—– ending to what that season could have had in that moment by leaving. It was real and it was exciting to watch. Sorry, if you literally are only looking at it from a perspective of like good reality TV, I gave you good reality TV,” she added. “[A conversation] would have been a boring cap to a boring ass season, to be honest.”
Bravo opted to take the second extended pause in the show’s history to give everyone time to heal before reuniting to film season 12 of Vanderpump Rules. Ariana, Sandoval, Lala, Scheana, 39, Katie, James, 32, and Tom Schwartz went on to find new opportunities in the TV space as they waited.
Ariana hosted the sixth season of Love Island USA, Lala and Scheana appeared on The Valley while Sandoval scored a place on season 3 of Traitors.
For more details on Vanderpump Rules‘ future at Bravo, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
