When James Kennedy joined Vanderpump Rules, he got wild when he drank, and it's time to talk about why some people find him just as annoying now that he's on a sobriety journey. He used to be Kristen Doute's boyfriend, and she bossed him around while Jax Taylor ignored him. Sometimes, he seemed like a little kid on the fringes, wanting to be accepted by the cool kids. Over the seasons, viewers watched him finally end his troubled relationship with Kristen, stand up to Jax, and become a stellar DJ.
In the past, fans watched him spiral out of control due to his drinking. There have been countless episodes where he's gone on alcohol-induced rants and hurled insults at fellow castmates. Some of these incidents happened while he was working as a DJ at SUR, and led to his firing by head honcho, Lisa Vanderpump. He has also clashed with girlfriend-turned-fiancee Raquel Leviss, who was tired of his drinking causing problems in their relationship and within their circle of friends. Two years ago, James finally quit drinking. and that has helped him tremendously in his personal life. However, his current antics show that he is obnoxious without alcohol.
In the first episode of this season’s Vanderpump Rules, Lisa had to sit James down and confront him about the nasty texts he had sent her son, Max Todd, who is his best friend. One of the texts said, “You’re fat and nobody likes you,” and others featured horrible expletives aimed at Max. James explained that they had a fight over sharing a salad, and he got so mad that he dipped his hands in his water and flicked it at Max. James, who now feels healthier after getting sober, then told Lisa that his texts were horrible. He seemed very regretful over the incident, which is a pattern that hasn’t changed since his drinking days.
Another thing that has remained the same is James making everything about him. Sometime during the COVID-19 pandemic, Raquel got a nose job. Unfortunately, the results were less than stellar, and her nose ended up crooked. She talked to James about going under the knife again to fix it, and he then went off on a rant because he was scared he wouldn't love the outcome. He yelled at her, “If I end up hating the way you look, what’s that gonna do? That’s what scares me!” During former pageant fan Raquel's consultation with plastic surgeon Paul Nassif, the doctor explained that to fix her nose, he would have to take some cartilage out of one of her ribs. James freaked out about her getting a scar in the process, which seemed to show that he was more concerned about how Raquel looked than how happy she was with herself.
James has a bad temper. During a potluck gathering, members of the group played a game, and James got aggravated when some people didn't follow the rules and talked over each other. He started yelling at Charli Burnett and Raquel. He cursed at them and called them “dumb.” Raquel, visibly upset, walked away, while her friends begged her to come back. In his confessional, James compared himself to a monkey with tambourines, getting wound up tighter and tighter, and that's how he acts when he is upset. Still, his friends keep forgiving him. Lisa Vanderpump seemingly has faith in his sobriety, so there may still be hope for James Kennedy from Vanderpump Rules.