Ally Lewber explained why she feels “weirdly grateful” for James Kennedy‘s arrest, which ultimately allowed her to end their relationship.
“It was just a lot of wake-up calls that needed to happen, but it wasn’t easy in the moment,” Lewber, 29, admitted to People in an interview published on Tuesday, April 8. “It was such a high and a low week.”
While it was “uncomfortable” for Lewber to have her personal life in the public eye, she confessed that she “probably” would have stayed with Kennedy, 33, if his legal trouble hadn’t made headlines. “I’m weirdly grateful because it made me face the facts,” she explained.
Us Weekly confirmed in December 2024 that police were dispatched to the home Kennedy shared with Lewber in response to a call about an argument between a man and a woman.
“We had just recorded my first episode of [new podcast], ‘StarStruck.’ James was going to be my first guest. Great energy, we had so much fun. And then the next night was the Kathy Hilton [Christmas party],” Lewber recalled, claiming Kennedy “was drinking behind my back” while she was working. “When I was finished working and came out to the party, that’s when it was like, ‘Oh, his whole demeanor changed.’ And I could kind of tell, like, ‘Have you been drinking?’”
James Kennedy and Ally Lewber attend the premiere party for Season 11 of Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules” at the Hollywood Palladium on January 17, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Lewber was “suspicious” but didn’t realize that Kennedy was no longer sober. It wasn’t until they were heading home that “it kind of spiraled.”
“The tension was high,” she noted. “[James was] still gaslighting me. He’s like, ‘I’m not drunk, you’re drunk.’ And I’m like, ‘No.’ We were just fighting, and then when we got out of the Uber, the fighting just continued. I was like, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ We were just fighting outside.”
Lewber said that she doesn’t “know who called the cops,” adding, “They assessed the situation, and I was not hurt physically. Emotionally, yes. But yeah, that’s kind of how that night played out, unfortunately.”
Kennedy was booked for misdemeanor domestic violence. According to police records, the victim — who was not immediately identified as Lewber — told the Burbank Police Department that “her boyfriend lifted her up and threw her to the ground.” Kennedy’s legal team subsequently released a statement on his behalf.
Ally Lewber attends the CLD PR Pre-Festival House 2025 on April 08, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for CLD PR
“We are in the process of conducting our own investigation into the allegations levied by the Burbank Police Department against James,” his attorneys said in a statement to Us after he was released on a $20,000 bail. “We understand that there were no injuries and we are hoping that, after careful review, the city’s attorneys will decide not to file formal charges.”
Lewber revealed on Tuesday that she asked the police to give Kennedy a breathalyzer test.
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images James Kennedy has not shied away from discussing his successes — and his failures — on the journey to staying sober. Bravo viewers were introduced to Kennedy when he joined Vanderpump Rules in 2015. After starting out as a busser at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant SUR, Kennedy quickly got wrapped up in plenty […]
“Because at this point, he’s still telling me, ‘I’m not drunk.’ So when they actually showed up, I was like, ‘Oh, perfect, will you please breathalyze him?’ So that was my first thought,” she recalled. “And they were like, ‘Well, we can’t do that. We’re not allowed to do that.’ But then they were like, ‘He’s drunk.’ And I was like, ‘OK, thanks.’”
Kennedy ultimately did not face any charges, but he and Lewber called it quits after the incident.
“I never was physically hurt and I never felt unsafe,” Lewber continued. “I think it was more just walking on eggshells and feeling anxious about, when is his next blow-up going to be? And I didn’t even realize this really until I was out of the house for a while, but just how my nervous system just feels normal again. It was always kind of anxious of making sure that he doesn’t get upset. Monitoring someone’s behavior is not healthy.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
