Katie Maloney is opening up about how she had no plans of returning to Vanderpump Rules if given the chance.
On a recent episode of her podcast, Disrespectfully, Katie Maloney explained to her co-host, Dayna Kathan, that she had made up her mind to step away from the show even before it was announced that Vanderpump Rules would be getting a fresh start with a new cast. “I didn’t plan on returning.”
Katie’s decision wasn’t made lightly. She shared that she had come to the conclusion after the Season 11 reunion aired in May, and it wasn’t a sudden or impulsive move. She’d spoken with producers and informed them of her choice months ago.
So why did Katie decide it was time to leave? Well, the 37-year-old reality star explained that her life had simply moved in a different direction. “Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, I was prepared,” she said. She had been on the show for so long, documenting major life events like her marriage and divorce, and Katie felt like she had outgrown that chapter.
It’s understandable. Being part of a reality show for so many years, where your life is constantly in the spotlight, can take a toll. And while she admits that the decision to leave feels “surreal” and “sad,” she doesn’t seem all that shocked by the finality of it all. “I just got to a point where I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can live and grow and be the version of myself I want to be on this show any longer,’” she explained.
As for the show’s future, Katie didn’t shy away from talking about the breakdown of the original cast’s dynamic. The infamous “Scandoval” (the cheating scandal between Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss) fractured relationships within the group, and as Katie admitted, “Many of us don’t hang out” anymore. What was once a “cohesive unit” is no longer a thing, leaving many wondering if the magic that originally made Vanderpump Rules such a hit is now gone for good.
Do you believe Katie would have not returned if the entire cast came back?