As Scheana Shay‘s arm tattoo boldly claims: “It’s all happening”. After a year-long hiatus, Vanderpump Rules will return for a ninth season later this year, Variety confirmed on April 27. But because of the many, many cast firings over the past several months, the show will likely feel very different when Season 9 premieres sometime in late 2021. From filming updates to the returning cast, this is the latest news that we know about Vanderpump Rules Season 9.
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Season 9 Release Date
The new season of Vanderpump Rules will premiere sometime “this fall”. Even though a Bravo spokesperson told Variety that that show will soon “resume production”, the network already dropped a few sneak peeks of Season 9, and they say the show will come back “this fall”. So it appears as though producers started filming, at least a little bit, long before the series’ return was confirmed. In the clips below, Lala Kent says she’s “37 weeks” pregnant, and we know she gave birth in March, so this footage was likely shot sometime in late February. Scheana also says she’s “40 weeks” pregnant in her clip, and she gave birth at the end of April.
🚨SNEAK PEEK OF #PUMPRULES SEASON 9🚨 Looks like the Bubbas have caught the baby fever… 👶 pic.twitter.com/HntmHxYP9i
— Bravo (@BravoTV) April 29, 2021
Seeing Scheana this happy in this SNEAK PEEK of Season 9 of #PumpRules has us like 😍 Who else cannot WAIT to see her as a mom? 🙋♀️ pic.twitter.com/YM3fls64ca
— Bravo (@BravoTV) April 29, 2021
Was ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Cancelled?
The short answer is no, Vanderpump Rules was not cancelled, despite what some blogs had previously reported. That’s a bit obvious now since a Bravo spokesperson confirmed to Variety that the show will return. However, due to the long hiatus and several cast firings, fans truly feared the worst.
As we previously reported, Kristen Doute and new mom Stassi Schroeder were fired from the show in June 2020 after their former Vanderpump Rules cast member, Faith Stowers, revealed they had reported her to the police for a crime she had nothing to do with. Additionally, new cast members Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni, whose past racist tweets were uncovered in January 2020, were also let go, a Bravo spokesperson confirmed to HollywoodLife at the time. On June 9, 2020, the network said, “Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed today that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules.”
New parents Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright announced they were also departing the series in December 2020 — six months after Stassi and Kristen’s own exits — but unlike Stassi and Kristen, Jax and Brittany claimed they left the show on their own accord. Per the statements they posted on social media, they said it was their decision to leave, but in a March 2021 interview, Lisa Vanderpump hinted that Bravo fired Jax and Brittany, too. When Lisa was asked if she was “surprised” by Jax and Brittany’s decision to “step back”, she said, “Was I surprised what they decided? Well, if you put it like that, yeah. I would have been really surprised,” before cryptically adding, “Who makes the rules? It’s not me…Bravo, they produce the show. Even though I’m an executive producer on it, you know, they make most of the decisions”.
Jax also called Faith a criminal, as Stassi and Kristen had. In a 2017 tweet that resurfaced after Stassi and Kristen’s firings, Jax wrote of Faith: “She’s wanted by the police for grand theft auto and ‘awol’ from military, bad idea to be on a reality show dude… Someone’s going to jail.” And following his and Brittany’s announcement, Variety reported they were fired from the series.
Season 8 newbie Dayna Kathan also confirmed earlier this month that she, too, would not be returning to the series. She said it was “the right decision” for her, leading fans to think that she left the show on her own accord (just as Jax and Brittany tried to do), but the timing of her announcement (less than two weeks before Bravo’s official reveal) seems suspicious. To be frank, we’re not totally convinced she made the “decision” to exit the series.
Anyway, it’s been a long time since fans last saw the cast of Vanderpump Rules on-screen together — it was actually during the Season 8 reunion show, which aired in June 2020 — so it’s no wonder why fans thought the series would get cancelled. Especially when you added in all the controversial firings and SUR’s temporary closing amid the pandemic.
The Bravo spokesperson revealed to Variety, however, that filming the ninth season of the show was always contingent on Los Angeles opening back up since the show relies on Lisa’s restaurants being open. “‘Vanderpump Rules’ will resume production with a comprehensive health and safety plan. The plan was developed in accordance with CDC guidance, all state and local orders, as well as NBCUniversal’s own safety guidelines. The health and safety of the cast and crew is the priority of Bravo for all of its shows.”
New & Returning Cast
Lisa Vanderpump, who owns SUR — the West Hollywood restaurant that the cast either works or has worked at — will return for Season 9 alongside Tom Schwartz and his wife, Katie Maloney, Tom Sandoval and his girlfriend, Ariana Maddix, Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss. And since seven stars have left the series over the past few months, new cast members may be added to the mix — including the new babies that were recently welcomed into the world. Scheana just gave birth on April 26, while Lala welcomed her first child in March.
At this time, it’s not yet clear whether Season 8 newbie Charli Burnett will return, as she was not named in the returning cast list shared by Variety. However, Variety reports that new cast members will be revealed at a later time, “once it becomes clear whose stories are working on the show.”
Either way, during a May 2021 interview, Lisa Vanderpump told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that the new season will be full of drama. “There are a couple of new faces, absolutely, and there are people that maybe didn’t want to be on the show as much come to the forefront a little bit more, but there’s still a very big existing cast. You’ve got James and Raquel, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz, Katie, Ariana. You’ve got Scheana and Brock, you’ve got Lala and Randall and you’ve got a couple of new faces. There’s a lot of stuff going on. You can tell they’ve been locked up for a little bit — that’s for sure.”
How To Watch ‘Vanderpump Rules’
If you’re looking to catch up on or rewatch older seasons of Vanderpump Rules before the new season debuts, the show is available on various streaming platforms, including Hulu, Peacock, YouTubeTV and Sling TV.