James Kennedy‘s exes, Kristen Doute and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, are weighing in on the recent news regarding his domestic violence arrest.
As James, 32, remains silent after being booked and released on bail on Tuesday, Kristen, 41, and Rachel, 30, who both alluded to mistreatment from the Vanderpump Rules alum in the past, have shared their thoughts about the alleged incident between James and, potentially, his current girlfriend, Ally Lewber, 28.
“FINALLY,” Kristen, who dated James between 2013 and 2015, wrote in the caption of a December 12 post on her Instagram Story, which included TMZ’s article about James’ arrest.
Meanwhile, Rachel, who split from James in late 2021 after five years of dating, responded via a statement from her attorneys, Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman.
“This news is, unfortunately, not surprising. Rachel’s lawsuit describes, in significant detail, Mr. Kennedy’s long history of erratic, violent behavior and substance abuse,” they told TMZ, adding that NBCUniversal and Evolution allegedly knew about James’ “troubling behavior all along.”
Although Ally has not been identified as James’ victim, she has remained tight-lipped about his arrest, instead insisting they were “in a new era” just one day after he was taken into custody after reportedly grabbing the arm of a woman during a verbal dispute.
During an interview with The U.S. Sun on Wednesday at the New Year’s Eve with Windsor event in West Hollywood, Ally said that she and James were looking forward to their next chapter following the news of the Pump Rules reboot.
“I do feel like we can now just like live our lives and not worry about like, ‘Oh, what’s our storyline going to be like? What drama do we have to share?’ That isn’t healthy and I feel like we’re both just trying to enter this new era of our life and clear-mindedness,” she explained.
That said, she admitted that their departure from the show was “bittersweet.”
“James, I think he took it really well, you know, for James. He feels things in the moment, and then he accepts it,” she shared. “I think it’s like grieving and just a sense of like, letting it go, reflecting, having gratitude. It’s just bittersweet. It’s like graduating high school or something.”
According to Ally, she believes James and Scheana Shay, 39, took the news the hardest.
“I haven’t spoken to everyone, but … I think [Ariana Madix]’s probably the happiest. She doesn’t have to film with [Tom Sandoval], she’s got amazing opportunities ahead of her … [But Scheana and James are] both emotional,” she noted. “And I think that they’ve just really given it their all over the last however many years.”
When Ally was then asked if James would miss his paycheck, Ally said that she wasn’t concerned before signaling James’ career as a DJ.
“His shows have really picked up. He’s got a Vegas residency. He’s fine in the career department, he has a career. And he’s making a great amount of money,” she shared.
While some of the cast is expected to pop up on The Valley, Ally denied James would be doing so.
“It’s not on the cards. I don’t think that we’re feeling like a pull there. And I think we’re just moving on and looking for something different,” she explained. “He’s just so funny and I think that he was destined to be on TV. So I absolutely know James will be on TV again. He’s just gonna find his way. I know he’s excited too to just lean more into the music and to finally maybe reach an audience outside of Bravo.”
As for where James was during the event, Ally said he stayed home because they’d had a busy week — and because James, who has reportedly been sober for five years, doesn’t like to be around large crowds.
