Lala Kent shared why her mom and brother no longer recap The Valley, as she suggested that certain “crying” costars “call[ed] and complain[ed].” The star also revealed an update in her relationship with former assistant and cohost Jessica Walter, who left the podcast under mysterious circumstances in 2024.
Many Bravo stars, it seems, are not allowed to discuss an ongoing season on their own podcasts. But Lala’s mom, Lisa Burningham, and brother, Easton Burningham (until recently), covered The Valley in separate episodes without Lala.
On Untraditionally Lala, the star revealed why her mom and brother Easton are no longer recapping The Valley.
“We had people that were not happy about the recaps happening, and it’s easier to just say, can you please be quiet?” she said cryptically, via @vanderpodrecaps on Instagram. “Because I do listen. I just thought I [was the one who] wasn’t allowed to talk about it.”
“But I guess we’re not either,” said Easton.
“There’s a handful of people on this cast that are extremely sensitive, which I didn’t have to deal with on the last show that I was on,” said Lala, referring to Vanderpump Rules. “Everyone knew the drill. We talked about podcasts all the time when we picked up cameras again. And no one was calling and complaining and crying about things. … A lot of thick-skinned people on VPR. … People [on The Valley] just got sensitive.”
Later on, Lala was asked if she was still friends with her former assistant Jessica.
“We have reconnected, and I absolutely adore her,” said Lala. “I always have and I always will. She and I, I don’t feel like we went south. It was [that] I could not in the moment give her… She was one of my dearest friends and my rock. On the other side of that was that she was my employee.”
“There were things that we wanted to do and build together to further her and her career,” she added. “And then things happened where the timing did not allow me to give her what she wanted in that moment. And she had to make a really big decision, which was to walk away from me. It was painful and I was devastated by it. But it’s where friendship, personal, and business kind of collided. And it was one of the hardest breakups I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
But Lala said they’re now in a better place.
“We still text and check in with each other because she will always be one of my most favorite humans on the face of the earth,” she explained. “ And if I could snap my fingers and give her everything she wanted … I wish I could have. But the timing and just things that had shifted, I couldn’t give to her in that moment. And I think she was like, I have to take a leap of faith and move on.”
New episodes of The Valley air Wednesday nights on Bravo.
