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Who Is Kristen Doute? What to Know About the Vanderpump Rules Alum
Find out what happened to one of the original cast members, including details on her boyfriend Luke Broderick.
When Bravo fans first met Kristen Doute in Season 1 of Vanderpump Rules, she was an aspiring actress in Los Angeles with a day job at SUR. Throughout her time on the show, she found herself at the center of drama in her friendships, her relationships, and her work.
Flash forward to Season 10 — two seasons after Kristen's departure from the show — and she made a brief return as a shoulder to cry on for her former-enemy-turned-friend Ariana Madix.
Here's what you need to know about Kristen's time on Vanderpump Rules and her life post-departure.
What seasons was Kristen Doute on Vanderpump Rules?
Kristen was an original cast member in Season 1 and remained on the show through Season 8.
She briefly returned in Season 10, when she went by Ariana's home to comfort her after Ariana discovered that her then-boyfriend of nine years, Tom Sandoval, had cheated on her. (Tom is also Kristen’s ex and had previously cheated on her as well.)
Did Kristen Doute sleep with Jax Taylor?
In Season 2, Jax Taylor — who was then Kristen’s best friend Stassi Schroeder’s ex-boyfriend and Tom Sandoval’s best friend — admitted to having sex with Kristen in the apartment that she shared with Tom at the time.
Later, Kristen and Jax revealed that they hooked up twice (watch the video below to hear more about that). Unsurprisingly, their hookups were a major point of contention in Kristen and Jax's relationships with Stassi and Tom.
Kristen Doute’s Relationship History
When VPR began airing in 2013, Kristen was in a relationship with Tom Sandoval. In Season 2, Kristen accused Tom of cheating on her with Ariana, which both Tom and Ariana denied. Later that season, Tom and Kristen called it quits, and Tom officially began dating Ariana.
Shortly thereafter, Kristen started dating James Kennedy, who was a busser at SUR at the time. Kristen and James’ tumultuous relationship played out on the show, and fans got to see a number of their explosive arguments. Later, after they split, Kristen revealed that she believed James “used [her] to be on the show.”
"James did his homework. He knew exactly what to do to get me," Kristen told The Daily Dish in 2015. "He knew when to swoop in, when I wasn't really friends with anyone yet. [He also knew] basically don't act like Tom [Sandoval] and don't be an ass, and then I'm going to like him. And he also knows that I fix little, broken souls. He just did his homework and he knew exactly what he was doing. And he played me right until the point that he got through one whole season, became a primary and then dropped me."
After splitting from James, Kristen dated Brian Carter, and the two eventually moved in together. At the Season 7 reunion, however, Kristen confirmed that she and Carter were no longer together.
In September 2019, Kristen reflected on their split. “Carter and I both know and have come to terms that our new label is friends — full of the utmost love and respect,” she wrote on Instagram. “He’s one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever known. As we unravel what has been for so long such an intertwined life, it hasn't been easy. But it's a step in the right direction. It may not be the black and white answer everyone is looking for, but it's our answer and that will just have to do.”
She has since started dating Luke Broderick.
Who is Kristen Doute’s boyfriend, Luke Broderick?
Kristen met Luke Broderick when they were in the same wedding in June 2022. “Right after we met at the wedding, or like hung out at the wedding, we had sex,” Kristen explained on the podcast she now has with Luke, Sex, Love, and What Else Matters.
Still, she had reservations about getting into a relationship with him, because he lived in Colorado at the time and is eight years younger than she is. Additionally, “just the thought of being someone’s girlfriend again threw me through a loop because I want to be a wife and I want to be a mother,” she said. “Most of all, I just want to be a mother and a partner. And I was so tired of being a girlfriend for a couple of years and then having sh-t fall apart.”
Still, they were able to make it work. “You definitely never pushed anything on me. You were just persistent. You’re consistent, which is what made me fall in love with you,” Kristen told Luke on the podcast. “But the persistence definitely made me stay interested in you.”
In November 2023, Kristen and Luke opened up on their podcast about experiencing a miscarriage at six weeks. "It's really f-cking terrifying because you always think, 'What's wrong? What did I do wrong? Could I have done something different?' And my doctor and my friends have told me, inside and out, up and down, that there's no reason — you can Google it 'til the day you die — there is literally no cause," Kristen shared. "They don't know why."
Amid the heartbreak, Kristen is trying her best to look at the bright side of things. As she put it, "The only silver lining, the fact that we've now been digesting this for the last four or five days, is that I know once Luke and I are past this, we can try again."
What does Kristen Doute do for a living?
In Season 1 of VPR, Kristen was an aspiring actress who worked at Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant, SUR. Her top IMDB credits include Behind Your Eyes (2011), 23 Minutes to Sunrise (2012), Blood on Canvas (2013), and Cats Dancing on Jupiter (2015).
After she was fired from SUR in Season 3, Kristen went on to launch a T-shirt line, James Mae, which was named after her niece and nephew. A launch party for the brand was featured on the show.
Today, Kristen co-hosts a podcast — Sex, Love, and What Else Matters — with her boyfriend, Luke.
Why was Kristen Doute fired from SUR?
In a Season 3 episode that aired in February 2015, Kristen was fired from SUR after being disrespectful to the restaurant managers. She had, at that point, been working at SUR for seven years.
Kristen recalled the moment to BravoTV.com. "I had this weird feeling and I happened to walk by the VIP room in the lounge and I saw Lisa sitting with Ken [Todd] and Guillermo and Nathalie — their business partners — and my manager sitting at the table and I though to myself, 'Oh no, this isn't good,'" she said. "I had a feeling it was about me."
Though admitting that she “should have quit a long time ago,” Kristen was still grateful for her opportunity to work for Lisa. “I wouldn't have any of this without her. I wouldn't have the job, I wouldn't have the show," she shared. "So as much I'm not her biggest fan and vice-versa, I'm grateful for the opportunities she's given me."
