James Kennedy and his girlfriend Ally Lewber have yet to comment on James’ arrest on Tuesday for domestic violence, but some of the women who previously dated the Vanderpump Rules star have spoken out since TMZ broke the news of James’ arrest.
As The Ashley reported earlier, James was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence in Burbank, California, –the city in which he lives with Ally—after cops answered a call about James arguing with a woman. An eyewitness claimed to have seen the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ star grab the woman, although no marks were found when she was examined by cops. James was still arrested and taken to jail.
After the news broke, attorneys for James’ former fiancé Rachel Leviss issued a statement to TMZ on Rachel’s behalf.
“This news is, unfortunately, not surprising,” Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman told the site. “Rachel’s lawsuit describes, in significant detail, Mr. Kennedy’s long history of erratic, violent behavior and substance abuse.”
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Rachel’s attorneys also claimed that NBC Universal (the company that owns Bravo), as well as Evolution Media— the production company behind ‘Vanderpump Rules’— knew about James’ alleged “troubling behavior all along” but did not take action.
Before James’ engagement to Rachel, he dated The Valley star Kristen Doute. Last August during an iHeartRadio podcast interview with Bethenny Frankel, Rachel addressed James’ history of violence, and discussed Kristen’s comments about James alleged violent streak as well.
“I’ve seen him be a violent person so I have no doubt that what she’s saying is true. I hope that one day it will come to light and there will be justice,” Rachel said, before giving her opinion that Bravo put Kristen on ‘The Valley’ to silence her from talking about what allegedly went down between her and James when they dated during Seasons 3 and 4 of ‘Vanderpump Rules.’
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“Kristen was just starting to talk about her tumultuous relationship with James and what happened behind closed doors,” Rachel said. “Then all of a sudden she’s presented with this spinoff. I believe [it] is a way to silence her — to keep that under wraps — so that the longevity of ‘Vanderpump Rules’ can continue.”
A Bravo rep quickly denied Rachel’s claims, stating that Kristen was cast on ‘The Valley’ because she is friends with the people on the show.
After news broke on Wednesday of James’ arrest, Kristen made her thoughts clear on Instagram Stories by posting a screenshot of TMZ‘s headline about the arrest, along with the word “FINALLY.”
Jamie Lynne— a close friend of Scheana Shay‘s who was a bridesmaid in her 2022 wedding to Brock Davis— also had a lot to say on Instagram Stories about James’ arrest. In a post, she stated that she stopped associating with those who supported James, after she and others were informed of James’ alleged violent history.
“This is why I had to distance myself from so many people who stuck by him, posted with him, supported his shows bc we were all given the same information that goes waaaay beyond this report,” she wrote.
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Jamie also claimed that she remained silent on the topic out of fear that ‘Vanderpump Rules’ would get cancelled if what she and the other allegedly knew about James was made public. (As The Ashley reported, it was recently revealed that the show’s original cast— including James— will no longer be on ‘Vanderpump Rules.’ A new cast has been assembled for Season 12.)
“It’s also why I had a hard time podcasting, as I was scared to say too much but also disappointed in myself for self-censoring to protect friends’ jobs,” Jamie wrote. “I never wanted to be the reason a show got canceled or friends lost jobs. But now that the show is done with that cast, I feel I can say more. Ethically, as a fierce supporter of [domestic violence] victims and a survivor myself, I tried to teach other women around this that it was NOT OK to bring an abuser around the very women he abused.
“I also had conversations with NBC Universal and Bravo producers about how this abuser should not have a platform,” she continued. “It sickened me to see so many women unknowingly supporting him. I hope this will change the minds of those who gave him the benefit of the doubt and wrote the MULTIPLE women off as not reliable. ALWAYS BELIEVE THE VICTIMS.”
Jamie went on to state that she hopes this will be the “rock bottom” for James and that he “gets the help he needs.” She also wrote that she wants James’ alleged victims to speak out.
“I hope his victims who chose not to say something in order to get more TV time realize they put other people in harm,” she wrote, before claiming that one particular woman has “been carrying this trauma for years while friends still bring [James] around.”
Jamie followed up her first Stories post with another one that seemed to be directed at some of the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ cast members and other associates of James, although she didn’t call anyone out by name.
“No, it wasn’t OK to have him DJ your bday party after you knew,” she wrote. “No, it didn’t matter if it was years ago or if drinking was involved. No, it didn’t matter if he was funny or charming. No, it wasn’t OK to headline him after you knew, just bc he could bring in crowds. No, it wasn’t OK to post a photo with him the day after you said, ‘Now I know this I will have a hard time filming with him.’ No, the victims were not at fault, crazy and did not provoke it. No, it was not OK to go support his shows and document it after you knew. No, it was not OK to put money above ethics.”
“And production knew years ago,” she added.
James has yet to publicly address his arrest. However, the comment section of his most-recent Instagram post (which was posted Tuesday to promote his upcoming show in Dallas) is now overrun with comments regarding James’ arrest, as well as concern for Ally.
“Kristen was speaking her truth and so many didn’t listen,” one person wrote.
“Domestic violence charges… how is anyone surprised by this? Prayers for Ally’s wellbeing and future safety from her abuser,” someone else commented.
“You people should apologize to Kristin and Rachel all of the VP rules costars should apologize to them publicly,” another person wrote.
RELATED STORY: ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star James Kennedy Arrested for Domestic Violence: Everything We Know So Far
(Photos: Instagram; Bravo)
4 Responses
Who is Jamie Lynn? Never heard of her.
I thought he was a psychopath just from watching the Reunion from the season before this show’s last run.
Go Jamie Lynn! Already she’s more interesting than half the cast.
I don’t even watch this show but dude looks like a coked up shrew. Instant red flag