Lala Kent rose to the top of Vanderpump Rules' elite class of pot stirrers, partygoers, and alpha dogs and arguably outshined the series' former protagonist Stassi Schroeder. Stassi undoubtedly helped build the brand in the early years of Vanderpump Rules; however, the endless toxicity that followed her left a problematic trail in her wake. On the other hand, while Lala is known for calling out her castmates and pushing the envelope, she avoided the appalling blunders Stassi consistently stumbled into.
Stassi got a lousy reputation for antics like calling her outfit "Nazi Chic" and saying there was too much focus on The Black Lives Matter movement at awards shows compared to other racial groups' activism. Bravo overlooked these transgressions at the time. However, once fans started calling out Stassi and Kristin Doute for racial profiling former castmate Faith Stowers, it was the end of her road on Vanderpump Rules. Kristen and Stassi misidentified Faith in a photo of a black woman accused of theft and called the police accusing Faith of the crime. As Faith noted, she and the woman in no way resembled one another beyond their race and made clear the violent consequences that could have resulted from the accusations. Over the years, Lala has been rude on many occasions but has never racially profiled anyone or invoked racist rhetoric. When Lala lashes out, it's often in defense of women, like when she called out Jax Taylor for knowing nothing about his wife's career goals or telling James Kennedy to stop trying to control Raquel Leviss.
Bravo fired Stassi in 2020, but now rumors are circulating that she could return on a Vanderpump Rules spinoff, Vanderpump Valley. After a subpar Vanderpump Rules season 9, there was a need to mix things up. With a nod toward the legacy Real Housewives of New York series, Bravo might be separating Vanderpump Rules generationally. The potential new show caught fans' attention after Andy Cohen introduced Lala on Watch What Happens Live as the star of Vanderpump Valley. Lala, her daughter Ocean, and other longtime Vanderpump Rules cast members are rumored to join the spinoff. Stassi's triumphant return could also be in the stars, along with her equally infamous ex-boyfriend Jax and his wife, Brittany Cartwright.
Andy and Lisa Vanderpump, who is the reason for Vanderpump Rules, have championed a potential return from Stassi, and her alpha chick persona certainly hasn't been forgotten by fans. However, after Stassi's time out of the limelight, Lala will likely stay center stage. Women succeed in reality television for their unfiltered and authoritative personas. However, Lala's managed to do just that by referencing her love for her lady parts and other women, whereas Stassi's relied on darker humor and power-hungry behavior. Lala's also come out of a break-up at the top of her game as a pop culture icon, new mother, and businesswoman. Meanwhile, Stassi wrote a book capitalizing on her racism scandal.
Overall the return of the original Vanderpump Rules cast members is long overdue. With celebrity fans from Lady Gaga and Khloé Kardashian to Martin Scorsese, the show captures Hollywood's attention and is due for a next chapter, hopefully with Lala at the helm.