Kristen Doute's New Man: the Haters Don't Phase Me

James Kennedy, the man at the heart of the Vanderpump Rules reunion bombshell, speaks out.

By Sarv Kreindler Feb 12, 2014, 3:31 PM ET

Kristen Doute and James Kennedy

Lisa Vanderpump let slip quite a juicy tidbit on Monday's Vanderpump Rules reunion, when she revealed that Kristen Doute is dating a new man named James. We then quickly found out that James is 21, a busser at SUR, in a band with Kristen's ex Tom Sandoval, and that he hooked up with Kristen in Tom's bed. Or, as Tom put it on the reunion, Kristen chose "the one guy that would completely turn my life upside down."

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So just who is the man at the center of Monday's shocking revelation? James Kennedy is indeed 21, works at SUR, and models on the side when he's not pursuing his true passion, working as a DJ and music producer. He's also pretty well-traveled: he was born in London, moved to Ibiza, Spain when he was 15, and then relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his career. And although he and Tom were once working on music together, they definitely aren't any more.

And James doesn't mince words when talking about his ex-partner. "I feel like [Tom] was completely fixated on the fact he had songs that he wrote over a decade ago and expected me to basically produce them for him," he tells Examiner. "It was a DUO not a single act…it was about us creating something new and original, not something that sounded like a horrible '80s band."

While he may not be too keen on Tom's taste in music, he clearly seems to appreciate his taste in women, saying of Kristen, "I definitely will say that I'm having the time of my life with her. Fans of the show are certainly shocked. It's a good mix between positive and negative feedback. At the end of the day haters exist, but it doesn't phase me one bit."

Make sure to tune-in to part 2 of the explosive Vanderpump Rules reunion on Monday, February 17th. And tell us below, what do you think of the young new Brit in Kristen's life?