Celebrity - News
The Evolution Of Lala Kent Throughout The Years
By ALEX CENEVIVA
Utah Upbringing
Lauren Burningham, known as Lala Kent, grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. In a Mormon majority society, her family wasn’t, and she was an outcast for it.
She connected with kids in theater and choir because the arts were for people that weren’t religious. She was also very close with her family, which helped her a lot.
Teen Bullying
Growing up, Kent wasn't the “cool girl.” She revealed to Millennium, “I was constantly bullied. Kids would throw Diet Coke at my
car when I’d drive by.”
Kent had a theory about why her peers were so cruel, saying, “I was modeling since I was 12. I bought and paid for my own BMW in cash.” She added, “I was also this theater geek.”
LA at 23
In 2013, Kent moved to Los Angeles to start a new life and become an actor. She didn’t land a role upon arrival, but she found a steady job as a fit model.
Being in LA brought her closer to her acting dreams. She landed a few acting and modeling jobs, but after quitting her job at SUR, the restaurant launched the career she wanted.
Vanderpump Rules at 25
She joined the cast of Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules” in Season 4 at age 25. She explained to Slice how Lisa Vanderpump offered her a job one night at SUR.
Lisa took to Lala quickly, but her co-stars didn’t. In her memoir, “Give Them Lala,” she writes, “The hate I got on my first season… was anxiety-triggering on a whole other level.”
Dating Randall Emmett
Part of her intrigue on the show was linked to her mystery boyfriend, Randall Emmett. The couple went public in 2018 because Emmett’s divorce wasn’t finalized.
Lala would often talk about the lavish gifts he gave her, so it led her castmates and viewers to accuse her of being a gold digger. The couple would eventually become engaged.