Vanderpump Rules personality James Kennedy broke his silence after being arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence.
“We are in the process of conducting our own investigation into the allegations levied by the Burbank Police Department against James,” attorneys for Kennedy, 32, said in a Friday, December 13, statement. “We understand that there were no injuries and we are hoping that, after careful review, the city’s attorneys will decide not to file formal charges.”
News broke on Thursday, December 12, that Kennedy had been arrested. According to TMZ, police officers were dispatched to Kennedy’s California home on Tuesday, December 10, after receiving a call about a couple’s argument. A witness allegedly saw Kennedy arguing with a woman and allegedly grabbed her.
Law enforcement officials, per TMZ, did not see any visible injuries on the alleged victim. Specific details were not immediately revealed.
Kennedy was released several hours later after posting a $20,000 bail.
Kennedy had been a mainstay on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules for its first 11 seasons. News broke late last month that the next season would be rebooted with a new crop of SURvers.
Kennedy’s girlfriend, Ally Lewber, told Us Weekly exclusively on December 4 that the British DJ was “grieving and just feeling [his] emotions” after the casting shakeup.
“I was at the airport because I was flying to Hilton Head for Thanksgiving. James was at home, and he got a call from the producers saying it was a great run, but time’s up basically,” Lewber, 28, recalled to Us. “It was much nicer than that. I wasn’t there so I didn’t get to see him, but I would call and check in and he’d be like, ‘I’m fine.’ He was just going to the gym and doing his thing, but I could just tell he was a little low. But I think he was reflecting.”
She added, “I think he was just like, ‘Wow, that was crazy.’ It was just an insane part of his life and such an important part of his life. I think he’s so proud — I know he’s so proud— of where he’s at now compared to where he started the show. So, I think it’s just gratitude and looking back and going, ‘Holy s—. We just did that, and now we can move on.’”
Lewber started dating Kennedy in 2022 after his breakup with ex-fiancée Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. She made her VPR debut in season 10 and returned for season 11, which aired earlier this year.
Lewber, for her part, has not publicly addressed Kennedy’s arrest. She and Kennedy live together alongside his dog Hippie, whom he adopted after Leviss, 29, needed to rehome the pup following behavioral issues.
“Life is really much more simple. It’s quiet, it’s peaceful. I do miss seeing people and having those friendships and getting to see them every day, but it’s just different,” she told Us earlier this month of life without Bravo cameras. “It’s just a bittersweet feeling of [knowing] that chapter’s closed, but it’s also really freeing at the same time. Like, ‘OK, we can just go live our lives and not worry about what storylines we have or what we have to share.’”
Lewber previously shut down claims that Kennedy was abusive toward her, noting on a February episode of Scheana Shay’s“Scheananigans” podcast that she was “good.”
“There was no physical altercation,” she recalled, referring to an incident after the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards. “I thought we were having fun. We were having fun. But then James and I did get into an argument, but there was no physical assault. I was not bleeding, and they didn’t have to get out of the car and separate us. So that didn’t happen. That’s all I’ll say on that.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.