Ally Lewber is setting the record straight on her breakup from Bravo star James Kennedy. 

The 29-year-old podcast host and astrologer recently (April 8) sat down with People to open up about her messy breakup with Kennedy that occurred after he was arrested for domestic violence. 

Lewber revealed that she thought she found her happy ending, but the Vanderpump Rules star wasn’t the love story she imagined. It was December 2024, she had been invited to Kathy Hilton’s holiday party to read birth charts – a pretty glamorous gig. She said she was riding a high since her podcast StarStruck was on the verge of launching. 

“It was such a high and a low week. We had just recorded my first episode of 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 night,” Lewber explained. “That was one of the coolest jobs that I’ve gotten to do,” she added. 

At that point, James had been sober for over a year,  and Lewber made it clear from the beginning that alcohol was a hard no in their relationship. During Hilton’s holiday party, Lewber said Kennedy was “drinking behind” her back while she was working. 

She continued, “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?’” 

Although she had her doubts, she initially brushed it off. At first, she thought it was just a caffeine boost. But she says it became crystal clear once they got in the car.

“I was like, ‘You’re obviously drunk,’” she recalled. That’s when the gaslighting started. “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.” 

Eventually, police showed up at their home after a woman – not Lewber – called them. She claims she asked the officers to breathalyze Kennedy, but they couldn’t. Still, they confirmed he had been drinking. Kennedy was arrested that night on domestic violence charges after that same woman claimed he had picked Ally up and thrown her to the ground. The charges were dropped the following month after an investigation found no physical harm.

“I don’t know who called the cops, but the cops showed up,” said Lewber. “They assessed the situation, and I was not hurt physically. Emotionally, yes. But yeah, that’s kind of how that night played out, unfortunately.”

She admits she spent most of her time walking on eggshells in their relationship, constantly trying to keep the peace. 

“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,” she shares. “It was always kind of anxious of making sure that he doesn’t get upset. Monitoring someone’s behavior is not healthy.” 

Eventually, she packed up and moved out. It wasn’t easy, but with the help of her therapist, she realized something huge — the “great” relationship she thought she had wasn’t actually real. Kennedy had been hiding his drinking, and that was a dealbreaker.

Kennedy later admitted to relapsing in a January Instagram post, writing, “I am taking time to focus on my sobriety, personal growth, and being present for loved ones.”

For Lewber, the pain went even deeper. Her father died from alcohol-related issues when she was just 11, and looking back, she says part of her was trying to save Kennedy the way she wished she could have saved her dad.

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Now, she’s in a much healthier headspace and looking for someone who brings peace, not chaos. 

“Just finding someone that I don’t have to fix, someone who already is whole and complete,” she says of what she’s looking for in a future partner. 

Fans aren’t surprised she walked away, and honestly, they’re proud of her. Choosing yourself isn’t always easy, but Lewber did it with grace and strength. While Kennedy works on himself, Lewber is reminding everyone that you don’t need to stay in a relationship that turns into a nightmare.

Photo Credit: @allylewber on Instagram.