Katie Maloney slams Vanderpump rules reboot; “It feels cheap”

Maloney, 38, who appeared in all 11 seasons of the hit reality series, opened up about her feelings on the April 22 episode of Detox Retox, the podcast hosted by her former co-star and ex-husband, Tom Schwartz. Though Maloney won’t be returning for the reboot, she had strong words for the network’s decision to continue the show with fresh faces.
“This isn’t against any of [the new cast],” Maloney said. “I don’t know them, but it just feels cheap to me. It feels cheap and I don’t like cheap.”She went on to criticize the idea of replicating the magic of the original series, which launched in 2013 as a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills spinoff centered around Lisa Vanderpump and the staff of her West Hollywood restaurant, SUR.
“You can’t replicate a recipe,” Maloney said. “It’s the same name [but] different show. There’s not even a season 1. To me, it just feels like it’s going to try to have the same flavor and the same everything.”
While some fans may be surprised by her stance, Maloney revealed she had already decided to walk away from the show before Bravo announced its plans for a reboot. In a December 2024 episode of her own podcast, Disrespectfully, she shared that she’d informed producers of her decision after filming wrapped on season 11.
“I had made a decision months ago after this past season. I needed to move on with my life,” she explained. “Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, I was prepared to move on from the show.”
Maloney’s departure followed the highly publicized “Scandoval” — a cheating scandal involving castmates Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss, which rocked season 11 and resulted in strained relationships, especially with Sandoval’s longtime girlfriend and fellow cast member Ariana Madix. The fallout was captured on-camera, despite Madix maintaining a strict no-contact rule with Sandoval during filming. The final reunion episode of season 11 aired in May 2024.
Though Maloney won’t be part of the show’s next chapter, her candid commentary is a reminder of how much the original Vanderpump Rules cast helped define the franchise — and why attempting to recreate that lightning in a bottle may be a tall order.