The ‘Vanderpump Rules’ star opens up about her decision to become a single parent by choice, the future of the show, and maternity leave.
Full disclosure, I’ve been Team Lala Kent since she joined the cast of Vanderpump Rules (VPR) in 2015. She waltzed into SUR, holding court at the hostess stand with one of the sharpest tongues on reality TV. That no-holds-barred approach didn’t win her many friends—at first—but as a fellow Virgo, I knew Kent’s bark had to be worse than her bite. I could see the softness, sensitivity, loyalty, and empathy underneath which was simply being preserved for those lucky enough to receive it.
As Kent let viewers in over the past nine years, she’s proven herself to be a loyal friend, unwavering in her values, empathetic to the underdogs, and most of all, one fierce mama bear. In March of 2021, Kent gave birth to her now almost 3 1/2-year-old daughter Ocean.
Before Ocean was even a year old, Kent went through a very painful and public breakup with Ocean’s father and unexpectedly found herself navigating single motherhood. That experience, however, made it crystal clear to Kent that she preferred doing motherhood on her own and wanted more children as a single mother by choice.
During season 11 of VPR, Kent threw a party where her friends helped her choose a sperm donor and soon after, Kent conceived her second child via intrauterine insemination (IUI). Her second baby girl is due September 1, 2024 (another Virgo!).
“Even when I was in my partnership and gave birth to Ocean, I immediately became very territorial and I didn’t want anyone else involved. I wanted to call all the shots. I felt l knew best because I carried this baby for nine months,” Kents tells Parents. “I know I’m going to find a partner one day, but I don’t want to share children with that partner because single motherhood suits me best.”
It Takes A Village
One thing Kent stresses is that even though she’s chosen motherhood as a single parent, she is not alone. Kent has a strong and supportive village surrounding her, Ocean, and her baby girl on the way.
“After my [breakup], I took inventory of my life, the people in it, and who I want in Ocean’s life—and especially this new baby’s life—for the long haul,” says Kent. “I realized there’s such a difference between being alone and being lonely. I looked around and felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude.”
Two pillars of Kent’s village are her mother Lisa Burningham and brother Easton Burningham who moved from Utah to be with her in Los Angeles. Easton lives in the same complex, while Lisa lives with Kent in the same apartment.
For some, having their mom as a roommate might be too close for comfort. But for Kent? It’s exactly what she needs to help raise her children.
“You know what I love about my mom? I’m an over-thinker and my mom doesn’t think at all. She just does. So when I talk to her about things, she’s like, ‘I didn’t even think about that, I wouldn’t even worry about it,'” explains Kent. “My mom is just such a light. She gives great advice and is very grounding—but she allows me to look at life and go, ‘You know what? Life is really freaking amazing. What do I have to complain about, really ever?’ We’re a good balance. There’s no drama. Why would I ever want a boyfriend? I’ve got all of the things that I need right in this household.”
While Kent has put so much of her life on reality TV from her journey into sobriety to becoming an entrepreneur and best-selling author, her life as a mother has not been as prominent. In fact, besides her close friend and castmate Scheana Shay, no one else on VPR is a mother. While Shay’s daughter Summer Moon is extremely close with Ocean, Kent says the rest of her cast doesn’t know Ocean very well and hasn’t even been a part of her second pregnancy.
This will all change when Kent’s new Amazon Live show, Mama’s Still Got It: Prepping for Baby premieres on Thursday, August 8 at 6:30 pm ET. The show will be on the interactive, free ad-supported (FAST) Channel on Prime Video and Freevee.
The two-part series has Kent giving an inside look at her life as a single mom by choice with friends (like The Valley’s Michelle Lally,), family, and experts joining the conversation. The series also gives Kent’s fans the chance to get to know Ocean.
“Anyone who’s been following my Amazon Lives knows it’s such a positive environment so I feel like it’s the perfect place for me to show off Ocean,” Kent explains. “Every pregnancy is different, and I know I’m going to love this baby just as much as I love Ocean. But I think because of what Ocean and I went through when she was so young, and the demise of what I thought was my partnership—I have a very soft spot in my heart for her. Having her pop into my Amazon Lives or talk about her on the Fast Channel brings her to life—while allowing me to protect her.”
The Future of ‘Vanderpump Rules’
As for baby number two’s future on camera?
“I want to protect this baby too, but baby number two is going to come in without as much heaviness. It’s going to be very light,” Kent says. “I picked my donor on Vanderpump Rules, so I would have no problem showing her on reality TV if I continue down that path.”
Usually, Vanderpump Rules films during the summer but after the intensity season 11 brought in the wake of “Scandoval,” season 12 has yet to start filming. Kent, however, sees that as a blessing in disguise. (If you don’t know, “Scandoval” involved a very intense break-up between two castmembers)
“Having time off from Vanderpump Rules was just meant to be—this pregnancy has not been easy. Being able to take the summer to just really enjoy and take care of myself has been God-sent time,” shares Kent.
If cameras had picked back up as scheduled, Kent admits she would’ve scaled back on filming.
“Just physically, I’m not on my ‘A game.’ I’ve had moments of ‘Oh wow, I cannot breathe.’ I’m a fragile person, so what may take me out, other people may be like, ‘Oh girl, that’s easy.’ But my pain tolerance is not great, and I’ve been enjoying not doing much,” Kent explains
Kent’s Third Trimester and Self-Care
That’s not to say Kent wants this break from VPR to be permanent. During the season 11 reunion, viewers saw Kent get extremely heated over her fellow castmate Ariana Maddix’s refusal to film with her ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval, arguing that it could hurt the future of the show.
“I’ve always been a pretty intense person and I’ve always been protective, but the moment you have a kid? You turn into a warrior,” Kent explains. “Anyone who comes in and tries to threaten the wellbeing of your children and how you provide for them is not going to be taken kindly. I stand by what I said at that reunion. I was deeply offended because no one was going to come in and take food off of my table. I’m a mama bear and anyone who doesn’t understand that? Not my problem.”
For now, taking this downtime has been key for Kent to get through the last few weeks of her pregnancy. She even admits if she’s on her feet for too long her legs “swell up to the size of elephant legs.”
Kent says she’s good at letting people know when she needs “me time,” putting herself first and carving out time for pampering. That includes binge-watching TV shows, eating good food, and indulging in skincare.
“I’m a sucker for skincare on Amazon. I’ll sit there and search for oils or which candles to get. I do that even when I’m not pregnant, but now, I don’t have to explain to anybody why I just want to give myself a facial at noon on a Tuesday,” she shares.
When the baby arrives, Kent says she would like to give herself a maternity leave—but carving out that time off is a struggle.
“If I’m taking time off, I’ll start to question if I’m a worthless person or not?—even after just giving birth,” Kent admits. “I would like to get about six weeks off. If I can get eight, that would be awesome.”
The Big Sister Promotion
Once the baby arrives, Kent looks forward to watching Ocean take on her new role of big sister.
“Anytime anyone asks me when I’m due or what I’m having, Ocean is there to love on my belly,” says Kent, even though she’s a little dubious about how Ocean will actually behave once the baby is home.
“Ocean’s great at sharing but sharing ‘things’ is different from sharing mom,” says Kent. “But up until this point, she’s very excited—she grabs and kisses my belly and talks to the baby.”
Ocean and the new baby will be three and a half years apart. It was important to Kent that they be close in age and have a relationship similar to the close-knit one that Kent has with her younger brother Easton.
“I don’t mess around. These girls better treat each other kindly and know that they’re all they’ve got,” Kent laughs.
Yes, even though baby two has yet to make her debut, Kent already has baby number three on her mind.
“I’ve already been adding names for my third baby into my list of names,” Kent reveals. Her mom, however, has been the voice of reason and reminds Kent to get through this pregnancy and get baby number two here safely before deciding to have another.
Empowering Future Single Mothers By Choice
Kent hopes her journey as a single mother by choice empowers other women to follow in her footsteps.
“I’m inspired by women—there is no limit for us,” she says. “If the stereotypical cookie-cutter marriage then children is not something that you crave, and you just want a baby—you can do it,” Kent says. “I know it feels strange and like you can’t, but that’s just a mental block that we put on ourselves. The mind is a very powerful thing. If it’s powerful enough to tell us we can’t do something, it’s certainly powerful enough to get rid of that and say that we can … and I’m having the best time doing [motherhood] by myself!”
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