Vanderpump Rules Stars Give Fans A Glimpse Into Their Off-Screen Friendship

Every gem that Bravo TV produces is guaranteed to have a resident villain. From "The Real Housewives" franchises to "Shahs of Sunset," each show has its own polarizing cast member that everyone either loves to hate or simply hates. Any true "Vanderpump Rules" fan is guaranteed to be reading this opening sentence with one person in mind: James Kennedy. His tumultuous fumble into the show as Kristen Doute's new boyfriend despite planning to move in with her ex-boyfriend, Tom Sandoval, was definitely representative of the rest of his time on the show (via Screen Rant). 

Throughout his time on the show, the British DJ — or self-proclaimed "White Kanye West" — has had some highs, but also some severely low lows. Fans have lost track of how many times Lisa Vanderpump has fired him from the restaurant, and it's even harder to track just how many bridges he's burned with each cast member, per YouTube. But surprisingly, the person that's had his back through it all has been Sandoval. Despite Kennedy often targeting Sandoval's closest friends, Sandoval has always been rooting for him to get better. This is why fans were saddened to see the two clash over something as silly as who paid more for an engagement party, per Screen Rant. Now, the friends have taken to Instagram to clear up where they stand.

Similar to most reality TV stars, the feuds as well as the reconciliations all go down on social media. Back in July 2021, James Kennedy and Tom Sandoval made it clear to fans that they were on the outs with a series of back and forth Instagram posts, per Reality Blurb. Sandoval took the first shot by posting an Instagram photo of himself beside co-star Brock Davies with a shade-packed caption that read, "Real friends don't leave u hangin! #newbestie #outwiththeoldinwiththenew #newpartners #parnersincrime." Kennedy promptly threw the shade baton back by posting himself with Sandoval's bestie, Tom Schwartz, who almost pursued a different job before "Vanderpump Rules," clarifying in the comments section that this was a direct response to Sandoval's post.

The friends have seemed to reconcile over the past few months, though. However, they made it clear that they were friends once again when Kennedy took to Instagram to share a selfie of them together thanking Sandoval for supporting him at a performance. "The king came to see you next last night! 👑 Cheers for the support last night, mate. brothers forever! And thanks for what you said on the mic," he wrote. 

Sandoval showed some love back by leaving the comment, "Aww James! I'm touched! Love u man!" With how temperamental Kennedy can be, there's no telling how long this reconciliation will last, but it's nice to see for now.