Presenting: Kristen Doute’s Entire Relationship History for Ya (2024)

After a truly s-h-o-c-k-i-n-g Vanderpump Rules season 11 finale (still *actively* trying to figure out whether Ariana Madix is departing the series, TYVM!), it seemed as though nothing could come close to the Lisa Vanderpump Cinematic Universe™️. That is, until Bravo’s new series The Valley, which features a buncha familiar faces...including VPR alum Kristen Doute (among Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, etc.—you get the gist).

Despite the reality star being in a brand-spankin' new relationship with her boyfriend Luke Broderick, real ones know that once upon a time, Kristen dated none other than Tom Sandoval. 🫠 Let's take a trip down memory lane and go through The Valley star's love life, shall we?

Yep, in the days of yore (read: circa Vanderpump Rules season 1), Kristen was in a full-on relationship with a worm with a mustache Tom Sandoval. And tbh, these two were pretty serious! Like, they even shared an apartment together.

How-ev-er!!! All of that changed in season 2 of the hit show when Kristen accused Tom of cheating on her with Ariana Madix, who before her Dancing with the Stars days started off as a SUR bartender. The evidence? A photo booth strip of Tom and Ariana that Kristen found in her and Tom's apartment. 👀

Obvi, Tom and Ariana denied that anything happened, but that didn't stop the 'ship with Kristen from still running its course and ending. Though, in true Vanderpump Rules messy form, the two continued to live together and Kristen even drove her now-ex around. Oh, and Tom and Ariana eventually wound up dating.

“In hindsight, it's obvious that Tom and I should have broken up a long time ago. We both had so much resentment; there really was no bouncing back. For so many years, I didn't feel like his girlfriend. I felt like his mom, his personal assistant, his maid. I focused more on his day-to-day then I did my own,” Kristen confessed in a season 2 cast blog (via Bravo). “I cared about him so much that I was willing to sacrifice my happiness to make his life easier. The fun and the attraction dissipated over time and it felt like more of a business arrangement than a relationship.”

FYI, in a post-Scandoval world, Tom is newly dating a model named Victoria Lee Robinson. For everything ya need to know about her, head right over this way:

In a true Spiderman meme moment, despite accusing Tom of cheating on her with Ariana, Kristen herself had an affair with VPR costar Jax Taylor while he was in a relationship with *checks notes* Kristen's best friend Stassi Schroeder. We'll give you a sec to re-read that so you can (1) make sense of it, and (2) question your faith in humanity lol.

Obvi, because both Jax and Kristen were in relationships, they had a mutual pact to never tell anyone about their hookup. However, their secret ultimately came to light during season 2 after Jax gave Stassi access to his text messages. Enter: Kristen confessing the secret to her then-BFF.

And in the event you need a refresher on exactly what went down when these two got together, apparently, the whole ~thing~ took place at Jax’s shared apartment with Sandoval (the two of them lived together at the time—we know, it's confusing lol). While Sandoval slept, Jax and Kristen hooked up on the couch while watching the movie Drive (😬), which led to (1) Stassi slapping Kristen, (2) Sandoval punching Jax, and (3) fans never looking at the film the same way again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The more ya know!

If you forgot that these two were a thing, dw! Even the best Bravo historians occasionally wipe the memory of the former couple from their minds. TL;DR: Shortly after her split from Sandoval, Kristen began dating James Kennedy, who worked as a busser at SUR at the time before becoming everyone's favorite DJ.

Per Kristen's season 2 cast blog (via Bravo), “I didn't plan for James and I to start dating. He is an amazing friend to me and I truly thank him for giving me the tough love I needed after the break up. He put his foot down against my tears and told me to move on the way that Tom already had. He wasn't trying to woo me in to bed or screw Tom over—it was a natural transition that neither of us expected or planned. He became one of my best friends and the chemistry was undeniable.”

Cue: James officially joining the Vanderpump Rules cast during season 3 and Kristen bringing everyone up to speed on where they stood during the inaugural episode: “For the last five months, James and I have been dating. He's 22. He's British. He's really good to me.”

The two went through many, many ups and downs throughout their time together, which ultimately played out on the show until they called it quits in the *checks notes* SUR parking lot in September 2015. And, yes, that, too, was fully caught on camera.

Post-split, Kristen reflected on the 'ship and claimed the DJ “used [her] to be on the show.” “James did his homework. He knew exactly what to do to get me,” she confessed to The Daily Dish in December 2015. “He knew when to swoop in, when I wasn't really friends with anyone yet. [He also knew] basically don't act like Tom and don't be an ass, and then I'm going to like him. And he also knows that I fix little, broken souls. He just did his homework and he knew exactly what he was doing. And he played me right until the point that he got through one whole season, became a primary and then dropped me.”

Yiiiiiiiikes.

After Parking Lot-Gate™️, Kristen went on to date photographer Brian Carter, and the two got pretty serious pretty quickly. The two moved in together, started couples therapy, and had practically their entire 'ship play out on the show.

By the season 7 reunion, however, Kristen revealed that she and Carter were no longer together. “It's just that he didn't respect me enough to pay his way and that was a big deal to me. I started feeling taking advantage of. I would flee to Stassi's house late at night being super upset,” she revealed before adding, “The bottom line is he and I are not together. I made that choice for myself.”

That! Said!!! At the time, the two still *did* live together. “Carter and I do still live together right now until I move into my house,” the VPR alum dished at the reunion and proceeded to explain the reasoning: “Our dog got mauled by a pit bull. I needed him physically, mentally, and emotionally, I needed him. We don't sleep in the same bed every night; we've had sex twice. I'm sorry it doesn't work for everyone for everyone on this f*cking stage but it's working for me.”

Eventually, though, in April 2019, Kristen purchased a home and officially moved out of their shared home.

Us Weekly first broke the news of Kristen's romance with Alex in April 2020. Just one month later, the two went Instagram official with a cute and casual snap of themselves on a walk that Kristen captioned, “Pretty fly for tie dye. ✌🏽💙.”

“This makes my heart so happy! You deserve all the happiness in the world my love,” then-costar Scheana Shay gushed in the comments section. “You have such a big heart and always give and put others first! It’s YOUR turn to be happy!!!!! @menache2society ❤️❤️❤️ all the feels.”

Later that month, Kristen gushed about Alex and shared more insight into how they first connected: “I really took my time with Alex and I really had to just lay it all out there and say this is who I am. This is what I’ve been through. You have a choice to make and either way it’s cool.”

Because of the budding relationship, Kristen was hopeful that fans would see more of it IRL on Vanderpump Rules. However, she wound up getting fired in June 2020 for past racially insensitive behavior.

Fast-forward to June 2022, and the realty star hopped on her Instagram Story to express how it was a “really sad day,” before thanking her “ride or die” friend Zack Wickham for helping pack up her things from the home she shared with Alex. “Leaving memories behind is even harder. Sending anyone having a DAY like this lots of love,” she added.

Kristen and her now-boyfriend first crossed paths in June 2022 at a mutual friend's wedding. And, yes, in a literal storybook twist, the Vanderpump Rules alum served as a bridesmaid while Luke was a groomsman. Truly, you can’t make this up. 🥺❤️

In the first episode of the duo's show The Valley, Kristen recalls how she and Luke were initially introduced just two weeks after her split from ex Alex: “I thought, ‘He’s sweet, he’s kind, he’s funny.’ Then we had sex behind a tent, and the rest is history.”

In November 2023, Kristen and Luke opened up on their podcast about a difficult experience they recently shared: Kristen had a miscarriage at six weeks. “It's really f*cking terrifying because you always think, 'What's wrong? What did I do wrong? Could I have done something different?' And my doctor and my friends have told me, inside and out, up and down, that there's no reason—you can Google it 'til the day you die—there is literally no cause,” Kristen shared. “They don't know why.”

Amid the tragedy, the former Vanderpump Rules star is trying her best to be optimistic with Luke by her side. As she put it, “The only silver lining, the fact that we've now been digesting this for the last four or five days, is that I know once Luke and I are past this, we can try again.”

Currently, the two are starring on The Valley together (which btw was just renewed for season 2).

They also show fans a glimpse of their 'ship all over their social media:

Make sure to head right over this way for all the deets on Luke—yw: