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Ally Lewber Set the Record Straight in a Major Way at the Vanderpump Rules Reunion
Find out what James Kennedy's girlfriend and Season 10 newcomer had to say about Raquel Leviss, James' drinking, and more.
Ally Lewber's first Vanderpump Rules reunion is officially in the books. James Kennedy's girlfriend joined him and the rest of the cast (sans Raquel Leviss, who made an appearance separately from Scheana Shay) during Part 2 of the Season 10 reunion on May 31.
Read on to find out what Ally had to say about everything from her and James' relationship as it currently stands to the unsolicited advice she kept getting from Raquel Leviss and Lala Kent this season on Vanderpump Rules.
Was Ally familiar with Vanderpump Rules prior to meeting James?
The short answer? Yes. "I had seen Vanderpump Rules. During COVID, I went down the Bravo rabbit hole," Ally told reunion host Andy Cohen after confirming that she and James had met during a joint gig he did with Tom Sandoval.
She went on to explain that while some of James' past behavior on the show gave her pause, "meeting him [was] different."
"I gave him a chance to really show me who he is," Ally added, "and he's lovely."
That's not to say she fully endorses or would even bother to defend some of the things he's done, though — especially when it comes to the choice words he had for Raquel's parents (which she shared earlier this season). "I didn't like that at all," Ally said, while James noted that he's "obviously not proud" of what he said. "[I] definitely take it back."
How soon after James and Raquel split did James and Ally start dating?
Part 2 of the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion confirmed that six weeks after James and Raquel broke off their engagement and subsequently ended their five-year relationship, James met Ally and they started dating. Addressing Andy's notion that the period of time might not have been "long enough to process" his split from Raquel, James said, "I think everyone does process breakups differently. For me, it was enough time."
Ally shared a similar sentiment, explaining, "We definitely both went into it planning to take things slow. I mean, we did jump into it, but a lot of conversations were had about it."
Why does Ally believe James gets so "triggered" by Raquel?
Looking back at James' many outbursts on Vanderpump Rules Season 10 — namely, the one that involved Tom Schwartz during the group's beach day — Ally said that while James does sometimes snap if Raquel's somehow involved in a situation, she doesn't believe the root cause is him still having feelings for her.
She admitted as much after Andy asked whether or not she's ever questioned if James "wasn't over" Raquel. More specifically, Ally said, "I honestly never thought that once, but I think James gets easily triggered by a lot of things, and I think he really did feel a deep betrayal, and he felt like he was losing his friends."
What does Ally think about James' drinking?
James no longer being sober was a topic of conversation throughout Vanderpump Rules Season 10, but when Andy asked Ally if she's worried about his continued drinking, she said, "Not at the moment."
"I definitely don't like [him] when [he's] drinking a lot, but honestly, we help each other," Ally continued. "I'm not drinking as much right now and neither is he."
Added James, "Even though I am drinking again, it is a lot different to how it used to be for me. I'll never go back to that boy who I was two-and-a-half years before I quit drinking."
Sandoval challenged that notion, bringing up how James being "belligerently drunk" allegedly lost him and Tom Schwartz a business deal not that long ago. James didn't issue a denial, but responded, "You two just show up and get drunk. I show up and I'm providing a whole f-cking show."
Did James ever start therapy like Ally recommended?
Ally told James he needed therapy after the beach day, and she explained why at the reunion: "I think everyone should see a therapist, especially men, and especially James."
He apparently agreed. "I met a very nice therapist and it's going good," James said. "I would say it's helping with my anger."
What did Ally think of Lala and Raquel giving her advice about James?
Lala and Raquel both initiated sit-downs with Ally to discuss her relationship with James this past season, and while she was receptive at the time, she doesn't exactly feel so fondly now. "I mean, I think at that time I was kind of open to hear what they had to say, but now looking back, I do feel like I could've been a little bit more protective of us," Ally told the group.
Lala, for her part, had an explanation for her motivations. "I was extremely triggered by my own situation, and I was just feeling like I didn't want anything that had happened to me to happen to other chicks," she said, tearing up. "My life was a lot this summer. I was hyper-sensitive to everything around me. I felt like such an idiot, such a fool, so I just felt like, with her, to baby her."
The three-part Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion continues next Wednesday, June 7.
