Katie Maloney has voiced strong opinions about Bravo’s decision to reboot Vanderpump Rules with a new cast. Speaking during an episode of Detox Retox, the podcast hosted by her former co-star and ex-husband Tom Schwartz, Maloney shared her reaction to the show’s new direction.
Filming is underway on Season 12, which features an entirely new group of restaurant staffers under the guidance of Lisa Vanderpump. Maloney, a core member of the original ensemble since the show’s 2013 debut, said she was ready to leave the series but remains attached to its origins.
“I was ready to walk away, but it doesn’t mean [I] don’t care about our show and the legacy that we brought to it,” she said. The reboot, she explained, feels disconnected from what the cast built over more than a decade. “It feels cheap to me. And I don’t like cheap.”
Maloney made it clear her remarks were not aimed at the incoming cast. “This isn’t against any of them,” she said. “I don’t know them.” Her criticism focused on the decision to continue under the same show title rather than launch a new series altogether.
“To me it just feels like it’s going to try to have the same flavor, the same everything,” she said. “When you try to replicate the recipe just based off of taste, you can’t do it.”
Vanderpump Rules originally followed the personal and professional lives of servers working at Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant. Maloney appeared on all 11 seasons, often sharing the spotlight with Schwartz, whom she married and later divorced during their time on the show.
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The cast dynamic shifted dramatically in 2023 following a widely publicized cheating scandal involving Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, which led to the breakdown of relationships within the group. Bravo responded by discontinuing the existing cast lineup for Season 12 and starting fresh. Vanderpump is the only returning on-screen presence in the new season.
Some original cast members are now featured on The Valley, a separate Bravo series focused on family life and long-term relationships. Tom Schwartz, Scheana Shay, and Lala Kent are confirmed for the upcoming second season of that show.
Kristen Doute, another former Vanderpump Rules regular now appearing on The Valley, also spoke about her experience with the original show. In a recent interview, she described her departure from the franchise as overdue. “If they hadn’t broken up with me, I probably would have never left,” she said.
During her podcast appearance, Maloney discussed the emotional weight of seeing the series continue without those who helped shape it. She questioned the choice to retain the name while making a full cast switch, arguing that doing so attempts to mimic a formula that was heavily tied to specific individuals and circumstances.
Rumors circulated last year that original cast members had asked for more money to return. Maloney previously dismissed those reports and did not revisit the topic during her recent comments.
Bravo has not released additional details about the new cast or a premiere date for the rebooted season.
Maloney’s remarks on Detox Retox mark the first public comments from a former main cast member since the reboot entered production. She acknowledged her own readiness to leave the show, while emphasizing the lasting significance it holds for her and other longtime castmates.
