A plot twist. James Kennedy broke his silence Raquel Leviss and Tom Schwartz‘s hookup – and weighed in on how the . influenced Vanderpump rules cast during season 10.
“It was weird. But honestly, I live my life, and everyone gets to live theirs,” Kennedy, 30, told exclusively Us Weekly at BravoCon on Saturday, October 15. “I mean, Raquel was like flirting with… Peter [Madrigal]. Like, she had her tongue in Peter’s throat at my See You Next Tuesday party [during] the first week [of filming].”
While discussing his ex-girlfriend’s dating life, the UK-born resident admitted he wasn’t happy about her bonding with his friends, saying, “Now it’s Schwartz. I don’t know. She skips home a bit.”
James Kennedy
Christopher Polk/ShutterstockWhile cameras were rolling in season 10 of Vanderpump rules, U.S confirmed that Leviss, 28, and Schwartz, 39, got cozy during Scheana Shay and Brock Davieswedding in August. “Apparently there was heavy drinking involved. They kissed,” an insider revealed exclusively to U.Sadding that they heard “through the vine” that “more was happening” between the costars.
According to Kennedy, the incident led him to question his friendships. “Oh yes. We’ll see how it develops during the season,” he teased. “But now they’re real friendships. They’re real emotions. That’s why it goes so deep.”
The professional DJ noted that he was able to work things out with his costars, adding: “We are good. There is no bad blood. As I said, it ended well and I wish everyone the best.”
Viewers were introduced to Leviss in 2016 after she started dating Kennedy. The former couple, who got engaged during season 9 of the hit Bravo series, announced their split during the filming of the reunion special.
“After these 5 wonderful years we had together, we have decided that we have two different goals and have made the decision to call off the engagement,” they wrote in a joint Instagram statement in November 2021. We love each other a lot, but we’re not in love anymore. We want nothing but the best for each other, so please keep your thoughts positive. Send love.”
During the Season 9 reunion, Leviss and Kennedy delivered the shocking news to their… Pump Rules colleagues. “I didn’t want to give up on him because he really showed me how committed he is to me and the things he is willing to do to improve himself,” the model explained on the January episode. “But I feel like it’s something deep inside. I’ve had nightmares about our wedding day and I think that’s a telltale sign that something is wrong.”
The California native later revealed that she had conflicting feelings about her ex-boyfriend moving on to Ally Lewber shortly after their split. (Leviss, for her part, was briefly linked to Madrigal.)
“I judge you if you have a girlfriend” [shortly] after your engagement is broken. Like, literally how many months? Like a month? Four weeks after the engagement was broken, James has a new girlfriend,” she told Katie Maloney on her podcast “You’re Gonna Love Me” in April, as the host addressed her own farewell to Schwartz. “That’s not news to anyone, but I’m judging you if you have a girlfriend after your engagement ends within a month. It’s fast. It’s good anyway.”
While performing at BravoCon, Kennedy gave a glimpse of his romance with Lewber, 26.
“As for marriage — I’ve never been married — so obviously that’s a big part of what I want in my life. But I’m also really focused on my career right now,” he said. “This relationship is different, just because it’s a different relationship, you know? We’re human beings. We’re very intellectual beings, and I just love it and I am really happy.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi