An unexpected reunion. Lala Kent and Randall Emmett may have celebrated Super Bowl Sunday separately, but the exes ended up crossing paths for the first time publicly since their split.
“It was like they didn’t know they would be at the same party and ran into each other and couldn’t avoid each other because they were in the same VIP section,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly about the “brief” interaction on Saturday, February 12.
According to the insider, Kent, 31, and Emmett, 50, were “in good spirits” amid the festivities but seemingly “felt obligated to say hi to each other” because of their history. The run-in occurred at Sports Illustrated‘s “The Party” presented by ABG, Talent Resources and Resorts World.
“Others definitely picked up on the fact that they were at the same party, especially since their split was so public,” the source adds, noting that the beauty mogul was joined by her former Vanderpump Rules costar Brittany Cartwright. Kent’s rep denied that the interaction happened.
Meanwhile, the director spent time at the event with Migos and his friends. Emmett’s ex-wife, Ambyr Childers, also made an appearance but didn’t interact with the film producer or the reality star.
Kent took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday, February 15, to compliment Childers, 33, on her look at the event, writing, “It’s all too good.”
The Utah native originally went public with Emmett in 2018 after his divorce from the You alum was finalized. Kent and Emmett announced their engagement that same year, they later postponed their wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, the twosome welcomed their daughter, Ocean.
The Give Them Lala author sparked split speculation in October 2021 when she removed all traces of her then-fiancé from her social media feed. One month later, Us confirmed that Kent and Emmett had called it quits.
“Randall did not want to split but it was Lala’s decision. The trust is gone,” an insider exclusively shared with Us at the time. “He’s been trying to win her back. … For now, she’s not wearing her ring and she’s truly focused on her daughter and her projects. She’s trying to keep everything private.”
Following the split, the Row actress revealed that she felt “disposable” as she adjusted to the major life change.
“Every day I find out something new that makes me feel [like], ‘Lala you were so disposable the whole time. You meant nothing. … You were a possession, a shiny object and nothing more.’ And I have to be OK with that,” she said during her “Give Them Lala” podcast in December 2021. “To learn the things that I learn and try my best to just keep my f–king mouth shut for my daughter, not say a word about what I know, it can become torturous. And I have to sit and say, ‘The universe will do its thing.’”
Kent recently opened up about how her relationship with Emmett shaped the way she approaches dating. The Florida native, for his part, has not publicly commented on the split.
“I will never welcome someone into my life again without a full background check, and I mean in-depth,” Kent explained during an Amazon Live chat on February 8. “I got to see what your credit is. I need to know your family history. I need to know everything you’ve been involved with. I’m going deep.”
The singer noted that the decision to hire a professional may have come from her being “damaged” by her ex, saying, “This could be the trauma — I don’t remember anything about my relationship. I don’t remember any good moments. I can only remember the demise of it, so maybe that’s my mind trying to protect me. Back to the lighter part of it: He made it easy, trust me. Wasn’t much to miss.”
With reporting by Diana Cooper