Not every Vanderpump Rules star has spoken to Lisa Vanderpump since news broke about the season 12 recasting.
“I do love them all regardless of their antics and their foibles. There’s a deep love just because of what we’ve been through together and seeing them at such a young age, even though they’ve been very frustrating at times, for sure, and they’ve made mistakes,” Vanderpump, 64, said on the Tuesday, April 1, episode of Bravo’s “Hot Mic” podcast. “But, it was predictable.”
Vanderpump recalled getting a call “straight away” from Tom Schwartz regarding the casting news. “He said, ‘I just want to thank you for all the opportunities you’ve given me.’ And James [Kennedy], too,” she noted. “Lala [Kent], I’ve always been very close to her.”
But who didn’t reach out to Vanderpump? “I think Ariana [Madix] texted me or tweeted me or something. Katie [Maloney], I didn’t hear from. But, as I say, that doesn’t really surprise me,” the restaurateur added. “It’s strange because I’m not saying they should be grateful to me — but they should be grateful for the show. We always celebrated them. But that show gave them a plethora of opportunities they wouldn’t necessarily have had.”
The Vanderpump Rules franchise began as a spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which Vanderpump starred on from 2010 to 2019. Vanderpump Rules became its own cultural phenomenon as Vanderpump expanded her TV universe with Vanderpump Villa, Vanderpump Dogs and Overserved With Lisa Vanderpump.
Season 11, which aired in 2024, left Bravo viewers divided on the future of the franchise. The network eventually confirmed in November that Vanderpump Rules is returning — but with an entirely new cast.
“The last 12 years of filming have been an extraordinary run full of laughter, tears and everything in between,” Vanderpump said in a November 2024 statement. “I can’t thank enough those who have shared their lives. How I love you all. In the restaurant business, one shift always gives way to another. Cheers to the next generation of Vanderpump Rules.”
After the news, both Maloney, 38, and Madix, 39, admitted they didn’t have plans to return to the show.
“Vanderpump Rules, you will forever be that girl 💖 I was up til 4am looking for all the right pics and the right words, but there’s no post or caption that could ever encapsulate everything. I am forever grateful to have been a part of such an incredible cultural phenomenon,” Madix wrote alongside a variety of photos from her 11 seasons on the show. “I’m feeling at peace with closing this chapter and I’m excited for everything that is to come.”
Maloney, meanwhile, broke down her choice to move on, explaining on an episode of her “Disrespectfully” podcast in December 2024, “I had made a decision months ago after this past season. I needed to move on with my life. I had talked to our producers about it and I told them my decision on that. I felt personally ready to move on from the show. I felt like my life and where I was at was moving in a different direction. Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, I was prepared to move on from the show.”
Tuesday’s podcast episode offered more insight into Vanderpump’s friendships with the now-former VPR cast.
“I have a great relationship with Schwartz. I think he’s truly a lovely, kind person. It actually hurt me to see him get a beating around the whole Scandoval time. He made a few silly moves. He should have stood up to [Tom] Sandoval more. But I think that’s him in his life. He tries to make everybody happy. And he’s just always been a very kind, lovable, thoughtful person,” she gushed. “I love Lala. Like with Stassi [Schroeder], I stopped her and Stassi in their tracks right at the beginning of the show, when they got very emotional.”
She concluded: “To be on a reality show can be truly overwhelming at times. I think she’s really grown from it. And I’m proud of her. I think she’s gonna be very successful.”
