Rumors have swirled about Bravo pressing pause on season 12 of Vanderpump Rules — and the cast is already weighing in.
Multiple outlets reported in April 2024 that the network wasn’t in a rush to begin production after documenting the aftermath of Tom Sandoval and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss‘ cheating scandal. News broke of Sandoval’s infidelity — and his subsequent split from Ariana Madix — in March 2023, and cameras were quickly picked up again to film a new finale for season 10.
Ariana, Rachel, Sandoval and their costars later hashed out the drama in a dramatic reunion special, which delivered record-breaking ratings for Bravo and Peacock. Production on season 11 began in June 2023, three months after Ariana learned about the affair.
When the new episodes aired in early 2024, some viewers questioned whether the speedy turnaround caused conversations caught on camera to feel stale and less high-stakes. (Even some of the cast agreed.)
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Cast’s Biggest Scandals and Controversies
It’s possible production is being delayed to accommodate Ariana’s busy schedule. Following her time on Dancing With the Stars and playing Roxie Hart on Broadway’s Chicago, she was tapped to host Love Island USA. The dating series is set to film in summer 2024, which is typically when VPR production kicks into gear.
After the season 11 finale aired in May 2024, viewers were even more convinced that Vanderpump Rules was due for a break. The conclusion to the season showed the cast turning on Ariana after she refused to film with Sandoval. Lala was most vocal about her displeasure, which hinted at a divide between the cast ahead of the reunion special.
Vanderpump Rules executive producer Alex Baskin officially confirmed the pause after the season 11 reunion aired in May 2024.
“We thought the break was the right way to go because, to your point, we would have run this back again fairly quickly and it’s clear that everyone needs time to reset. And we do that, as you said, on the other shows,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think we’re going to take a full look at what the group looks like in a period of time and figure out what we want to do next. And that may mean that certain people have to make decisions as well. We don’t want anyone to do the show if it doesn’t make sense for where they are now.”
He continued: “Typically, we’ve shot in the early part of July, around there, so we would be in pre-production basically starting next week. And I don’t think that would be great. I don’t think that would have been enough time. So I think we as a show will gather ourselves and look at what we want to do, and that will be informed by what everyone individually wants to do. And then we’ll figure out what the path is going forward.”
Keep scrolling to see what the Vanderpump Rules cast has said about potentially taking a break from filming:
Scheana Shay
“I personally feel like I don’t have any inside information. We’re the last people to find out,” Scheana said on her podcast in May 2024. “I could see Vanderpump Rules picking up maybe in the fall [2024] after The Valley fully wraps up.”
She added: “That’s just my prediction is, let’s give it several months of [Ariana and Katie’s] sandwich shop being open. Ariana’s going back to Broadway. Let’s all just live our lives for the next five to six months and pick up where we’re at then instead of where we left off after the reunion. Because that’s where we’re all at right now is where we left off at the reunion.”
That same month, Scheana expressed support for the pause. “I think this break is needed. Honestly, I think it is the smartest decision to not jump right back in to another season like we did after Scandoval. I don’t think enough time had passed. And I feel like if we gave it a little more time to breathe, things would have been a lot different,” she said on her podcast. “I feel like all of us need a little bit of an emotional break.”
Scheana also shared her plans for the summer now that cameras won’t be around.
“I’m going to be working on a dream project of mine this summer. I’m very, very excited about having time to do that and not figuring out how I’m going to juggle that with filming five days a week. I’m going to get to enjoy a summer off for the first time in like 12 years and the first time as a mom. So I’m really looking forward to having some downtime focusing on some other projects,” she added. “I’m just excited to have time with the family and in the new house.”
Lala Kent
During a May 2024 Amazon Live, Lala said she wouldn’t mind hitting pause — or coming back right away to film.
“Is this confirmed? I’m gonna say this. If we film this summer, I’m going to have a peaceful pregnancy, because I will not allow it to be any other way,” noted Lala, who is expecting her second baby via IUI. “This is my real life.”
Lala made it clear that her priority was motherhood, adding, “This is gonna be my baby forever, and I will be damned if anybody tries to make it [difficult] — which, I’m in charge of my own emotions. So if we do film, I will keep zen to protect the peace of my baby in the womb. And if we don’t film this summer, I will be on cloud 59.”
That same month, Lala mentioned on her podcast that she was pleased with the decision to press pause on filming. “As you guys know, we’re not filming. And contrary to what the internet says, I’m very happy about it, OK?” she shared.
Tom Sandoval
“I think one of the things is that, coming out of this scandal, it was like we picked up filming right when everything first happened,” Sandoval explained during an appearance on Fox’s New Day Cleveland in May 2024, days after the reported pause made headlines. “And then we kind of had a very short break and then right into filming this season that you’re watching now, season 11.”
The TV personality recalled the burnout that came with documenting his scandal, adding, “What would end up happening, production would just be down, the last episode of the season, the reunion, then our secrets revealed or whatever it is, would air and then it’s maybe a couple weeks and we would be back into filming again.”
Sandoval seemed on board with the pause. “They just wanna give it some time to breathe, take a break, maybe, I’m really excited about it,” he explained. “Because it’s like every year we film my birthday. We film Scheana [Shay]’s birthday at times or whatever. To kind of have a different time of the year, it might bring a fresh sort of feeling to our show.”
Biggest ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Feuds Ever — and Where the Relationships Stand
Tom Schwartz
“I think people need a little break. I think the show, I like that we’re actually taking a little breather that is postponed,” Schwartz said on Kristen Doute’s “Balancing Act” podcast in May 2024. “I don’t know what the future of the whole looks like, but maybe I’m delusional, but I feel like we’re just gearing up for a whole new chapter. I don’t know. I think the show needs to breathe a little bit.”
He added: “There’s some overexposure. I think there’s some you know what of all fatigue, and it’s like it got a little dark. Usually, the show has always been 100 percent authentic. I think it was always more levity to it. It just got a little bleak, a little dismal for me the past few years. But I don’t know. I think everyone’s healing.”
Andy Cohen
The Bravo exec — who doesn’t make decisions about VPR‘s future — also sounded off on possibly halting production to improve the franchise.
“We used to do this all the time with the Housewives,” he said on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in May 2024. “We would say, ‘You know what? Let’s put cameras down for, you know, four or five months and come back to them.’ And they will have lived, you know, life.”
Andy noted that he and Ariana discussed how fans can often “forget” the timeline of their show when watching the episodes.
“People forget that we picked up cameras a few, three months after [Ariana] found out about [Sandoval’s] affair, so that’s why she’s still in the violently angry stage and you can understand that,” he continued, adding that while “it’s great” to show her raw reaction, the drama has now run its course. “Sometimes you do want people to live their lives and see how things develop … so, I think it’s a very good idea.”
Lisa Vanderpump
“We’re taking a little breath here. I’ve got to open another restaurant,” Vanderpump exclusively told Us in May 2024. “I think we’re kind of done talking about Scandoval/Sandoval. So I think everybody needs to have it kind of all breathe a little bit.”
While the cast has been describing the VPR hiatus as a “pause,” Vanderpump confessed that “every year I think, ‘Oh, this is gonna be the last year.’” That possibility hasn’t stopped her from creating and expanding her legacy.
“I’ve kind of gone and done other things, opened other restaurants and been, like, on other shows, created Vanderpump Villa,” she added.
