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Lisa Vanderpump Breaks Down As She Fires James Kennedy From SUR, Says Young DJ Reminds Her Of Her Late Brother

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 22:40 PST, Dec 23, 2018

Lisa Vanderpump got emotional on Vanderpump Rules this week as she dealt with workplace drama with an employee who reminded her of her late brother Mark. On the most recent episode of the Bravo reality show, the SUR owner struggled with reconciling her sympathies for DJ James Kennedy with his inappropriate behavior toward female employees at the high-end eatery.

After Kennedy body-shamed Katie Maloney at L.A. Pride, Maloney gave her boss Lisa Vanderpump an ultimatum. The Vanderpump Rules queen bee confronted James then broke down in tears after firing him, according to People.

Vanderpump called Kennedy out for his disrespectful talk to women, then informed him, “You put me in a very, very difficult position. I cannot have you as one of the faces of my company with the way you disrespect women.”

While Kennedy blamed his erratic behavior on alcohol and promised that he would swear off drinking for good, Vanderpump had had enough and shot down his pleas for another chance.

“James, I want you to grow up and pull yourself together,” Vanderpump said. “You are responsible for your actions, and you will be held accountable. You have to change in your life, and this is going to be a life-changing moment for you, I hope.”

But not all Vanderpump Rules fans agreed with Lisa Vanderpump’s decision to fire James Kennedy. Some viewers pointed out that Katie Maloney and some of the other SURvers are “mean girls” who dish it out but can’t take it back. You can see some of the viewer response to James Kennedy’s firing below.

Lisa Vanderpump has long had a soft spot for James Kennedy. The wealthy restaurateur later broke down in tears as she likened the troubled SUR DJ to her brother Mark Vanderpump, who died by suicide at age 59.

“I think I’m sensitive to the fact that James, he’s a young DJ like my brother was. And there are kind of two paths you can take: the right one and the wrong one. I see this kind of almost like an echo. So I don’t know.”

This is not the first time this season Lisa Vanderpump has mentioned her late brother, who was found dead at his home in Gloucestershire, England, on the same day as the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 6 finale.

Earlier this month on the Vanderpump Rules season premiere, Lisa Vanderpump broke down as she recalled her close relationship with her late brother.

“It’s been five weeks since my only sibling, my brother who was 16 months older than me, passed away through suicide,” Vanderpump said. “Obviously it just being the two of us, we were more like twins. It’s been incredibly difficult, but we have to keep moving forward and make the people that were so important in our lives proud as they watch down over us.”

Vanderpump Rules airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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