Every Story Line — and Feud — That Happened Between ‘VPR’ Seasons 11 and 12

Vanderpump Rules doesn’t need cameras to be rolling to keep the drama going between seasons 11 and 12.

Season 11 of the hit Bravo series picked back up mere months after Tom Sandoval‘s affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss made headlines — and ended his nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix. While most of the cast initially sided with Ariana following her split from Sandoval, their loyalties shifted as they kept filming the rest of the season.

The three-part reunion, which concluded in May 2024, hinted at a fractured friend group that might not be able to get to a better place. Bravo’s decision to hit pause on Vanderpump Rules ahead of season 12 also became a cause for concern as viewers wondered about the future of the show.

The Vanderpump Rules cast, including Ariana, Sandoval, Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz and James Kennedy, rose to the occasion by proving off screen that they were just as messy as ever even without filming for the show.

Most of the scandals were various feuds — with Lala at the center of most of them. There was also controversy when Scheana claimed the Vanderpump Rules producers pushed her and Lala to film more with Sandoval with the subtle threat of the show getting canceled if they don’t.

Keep scrolling for a guide to all the off-screen story lines — and feuds — that have surfaced since the Vanderpump Rules cast took a break from filming:

The State of Lala Kent’s Feuds With Various ‘The Valley’ Stars

During the VPR reunion, Lala surprised the audience when she revealed she had a fight with former costar Brittany Cartwright over a babysitter. Brittany clarified in June 2024 that she thought her and Lala figured the issue out. Lala, however, said she was taking a “breather” from Brittany after previously getting into public feuds with other costars.

Lala and Kristen Doute were also at odds while season 11 was airing. After VPR and The Valley concluded, Kristen said she had no plans to be friends with Lala again at the moment.

Lala Kent’s Shady Comments About Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney

Shortly after season 11 aired on Bravo, Lala issued an apology to fans who felt slighted by her recent comments on her podcast. She stood by her digs at Ariana and Katie, though, after accusing both of them of not being authentic on the show. Lala specifically called Ariana out for not filming with Sandoval while accusing Katie of complaining about Ariana when cameras weren’t rolling.

“Trauma bonds run deep. I’ve had trauma bonds before and they are thick, but neither of you better get over the trauma,” Lala said about Katie and Ariana’s friendship on a June 2024 podcast. “Because once you start healing, bond is over.”

Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney Questioning Reunion Tactics

One day after the VPR reunion concluded on Bravo, Ariana and Katie put production on blast for their decision to play the final moments of the finale during the special.

“I hated the ending of it all. I hated that they waited to show us that five minutes because I was like, ‘This feels mean and it’s just mean towards Ariana,’” Katie noted on her “Disrespectfully” podcast in May 2024. “That wasn’t for any of us. There was nothing shocking in it for any of us. It was only mean toward one person.”

The intent behind making everyone watch the finale in real-time felt “very pointed” for Ariana.

“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 added. “‘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?”

Scheana Shay Claiming ‘VPR’ EPs Interfered With Filming — Which They Denied

The Vanderpump Rules reunion caused Scheana and Lala to receive backlash from viewers. Scheana went on to claim in May 2024 that the cast was encouraged to film with Sandoval or the show would be canceled.

“It was a whole season of feeling like we all kind of had to walk on eggshells. I know [executive producer] Alex Baskin has said that midseason, the show was not in a good place,” she said on her “Scheananigans” podcast at the time. “It was, you know, ‘X, Y and Z needs to happen. Or we’re going to have a short season and the show’s going to be canceled and that’s it. Go live your lives.’”

The executive producer referred to Scheana’s comments as a “pretty dramatic, heightened account” of what happened.

“We did get the entire cast together, and we thought we had hit a point in the season where I actually think that they were impacted by what was happening on social media,” he said at a panel one month later. “We basically were telling them to drown out the noise, and to make the show that they had made over the previous 10 seasons — and that didn’t mean we asked them to manufacture anything.”

He added: “It didn’t mean that we gave them any specific talking points. It just meant that we had made a show that worked because it was everybody rowing in the same direction, and reacting to each other. And we’ve gotten away from that. So we thought that we had to intervene in that sense.”

Lala however, disagreed with Scheana’s perception of the situation.

“Scheana is my friend — a dear friend of mine — and I love her tremendously. I am a lone wolf. I don’t share opinions with people. If I agree with you, that doesn’t mean that I’m blindly loyal. It just means I agree with something you said,” she said on a July 2024 episode of the “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast. “I have never been a puppet to production. I in no way, shape or form felt that production was trying to get me to lean one way or the other.”

Tom Sandoval’s Falling Out With Billie Lee

After defending Sandoval during his cheating scandal, Billie surprised Vanderpump Rules fans in June 2024 fans when she confirmed a falling out between them. Billie blamed Sandoval’s girlfriend, Victoria Lee Robinson, for creating a “toxic” environment since they started dating.

“Because it was so toxic. I was feeling so much anxiety. And then I also was just feeling uncomfortable being in a house [with them],” Billie claimed on her “Billie and the Kid” podcast. “The thing is Tom was sober for a very long time. When he met Victoria, he started drinking again. And I noticed a lot of alarming things.”

Victoria and Sandoval’s friend Kyle Chan went on a live podcast to respond. They subsequently accused Billie of creating distance between Sandoval and his loved ones. Sandoval, who was in Scotland at the time filming season 3 of The Traitors, issued a statement via his social media.

“Billie Lee’s false claims toward Victoria Lee Robinson and Kyle Chan were designed to damage our friendships and relationships. Victoria, Kyle and I all heard her on speaker phone while she made those accusations,” he wrote via Instagram Stories. “They were designed to isolate me from my close friends for ulterior motives. It is not a coincidence that she is doing this while I am out of the country and she is on tour. I will be addressing everything when I am back.”

Scheana Shay Picking Sides in Ariana and Jeremy Madix’s Estrangement

In March 2024, Jeremy exclusively told Us Weekly that he wasn’t currently in contact with his sister, saying, “Why I haven’t been talking to my sister and Scandoval are two totally separate things. I just want to clarify that I haven’t talked to my sister due to me having to stand up for my fiancée.”

Jeremy, who got engaged to girlfriend Rachael that same month, said he hoped to reconcile with Ariana down the line. Ariana, however, didn’t publicly address her brother’s public comments about their estrangement.

Before Vanderpump Rules fans even had time to ask how this affected Scheana, she was already posting photos on social media with Jeremy. Scheana subsequently denied trying to stir the pot when accused of sharing footage with Jeremy to intentionally show Ariana’s absence.

“Def reading too much into it lol,” she wrote on X in May 2024.

Jo Wenberg and Tom Schwartz’s Back and Forth

Schwartz initially started dating — or at least casually seeing — Jo in the aftermath of his and Katie’s divorce. After confirming at the season 10 reunion that he and Jo hooked up, the pair was featured more prominently on the next season of the show.

Schwartz and Jo called it quits while filming season 11 but that was only the beginning. Schwartz initially got backlash for seemingly stringing Jo along with no intention of actually dating her. But once he moved on with Sophia Skoro, Jo kept taking part in live Instagram chats where she said she still had hope for her and Schwartz.

By May 2024, Jo started claiming that Schwartz was still trying to contact her, which he denied. Schwartz also accused Jo of being a compulsive liar before confirming he blocked her on social media.

Not Getting an Invitation to ‘The Valley’

After news broke about Vanderpump Rules not filming in summer 2024, certain outlets reported that Lala — and possibly Scheana — would be using that break to join spinoff series The Valley. Both Lala and Scheana denied there being plans in the works for them to crossover. But it was the way certain The Valley cast members, such as Jax Taylor and Kristen, rejected the idea of Lala and Scheana coming over that started some public tension.

“I personally don’t think we need to bring anyone from Vanderpump Rules over,” Jax told estranged wife Brittany on their “When Reality Hits” podcast in May 2024. “I’m not trying to make this Vanderpump Rules. As of right now, that is a no. It is a hard no. But who knows, it could change. If we have parties, absolutely.”

He continued: “But this is The Valley, this is not an extension of Vanderpump Rules. I’m really proud of our show and I think it isn’t fair for our cast members after they worked so hard to [just] bring people over.”

Scheana used her “Scheananigans” podcast to respond to Jax, saying that same month, “You are afraid of me and Lala being on the show because we’re gonna call you out for the s—t we actually know.” As for Lala, she referred to Jax as a “buffoon of a human” in June 2024 during a tell-all podcast interview.