Men behaving badly in Hollywood — or more precisely, the takedowns of these people in power — have inundated the news over the last few years, with movie producer Randall Emmett being one of the central figures. So much so that a 90-minute documentary, “The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump,” begins streaming May 22 on Hulu.
Emmett’s downfall began with an investigation (“The Man Who Played Hollywood: Inside Randall Emmett’s Crumbling Empire”) by L.A. Times reporters Amy Kaufman and Meg James into claims against Emmett that include allegations of race discrimination, workplace abuse, and questionable on-set behavior toward actor Bruce Willis as his mental acuity declined ― all of which Emmett denies.
The ABC News Studios-L.A. Times Studios-produced doc will feature interview footage with Emmett’s ex-fiancee, “Vanderpump Rules” star Lala Kent, and exclusive interviews with Kent’s mom and brother, past employees and more. Here is a timeline of Emmett’s troubles as chronicled by The Times.
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‘Vanderpump Rules’
Though he was already a film producer, Emmett came to the public’s attention in a guest role on season 8 of the Bravo series “Vanderpump Rules,” a reality show about the people working at “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurants and bars. He became a recurring cast member in the ninth season. Though he is no longer part of the show, there’s still all kinds of scandal going on there.
Bruce Willis
Emma Heming and Bruce Willis in 2019.
(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
While investigating Emmett, it was revealed that nearly two dozen people who were on set with Willis expressed concerns about the actor’s declining cognitive state on movie sets in recent years. Emmett produced the films and in a statement to The Times, he denied knowing of Willis’ condition or that he had been aware “of any decline in Mr. Willis’ health” — a disputed claim. Since 2006, the actor has appeared in two dozen projects under Emmett’s production company, Emmett/Furla Oasis — and the pace of the output heightened as Willis’ health declined. Willis was diagnosed with aphasia, and later, frontotemporal dementia. Willis has since halted his acting career, though he still enjoys an “impromptu” harmonica solo every once in a while.
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The investigation
Times reporters Kaufman and James interviewed dozens of people connected to Emmett and his productions. Alongside those interviews, a review of hundreds of court filings and internal company records depicted an empire that was crumbling. The producer faced and still faces lawsuits and mounting debts, as well as allegations of abuse against women, assistants and business partners. He is accused of inappropriate behavior with women, including offering acting work in exchange for sexual favors, and of forcing assistants to conduct dangerous and illegal activity on his behalf.
The nearly dozen lawsuits include several from former financiers, an insurance company and a previous landlord, all clamoring to be repaid their portion of more than $25 million in outstanding loans and disputed payments.
VIDEO | 01:15
Randall Emmett offers former assistant $50,000
Voice notes from Randall Emmett to former assistant Martin G’Blae
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Marital struggles
The producer and actor Ambyr Childers divorced in December 2017. During that separation, Childers said she found a tracking device placed under her car. She later said that Emmett told her that his attorney had “directed him to hire a private investigator who then placed the tracking device on my car.”
She later sought and secured a restraining order against him after discovering threatening messages involvng his lawyer. The order was later released and the two straightened out their legal entanglements and custody issues.
Kent was engaged to Emmett from 2018 to 2021 before their relationship imploded amid accusations of abuse. Kent and Emmett are currently involved in a custody battle over their 1-year-old daughter.
Legal troubles
Martin G’Blae, 29, one of Randall Emmett’s former assistants, accused him of racial discrimination and creating a hostile workplace that included the use of the N-word. A PA on Emmett’s action movie “Midnight in the Switchgrass,” he was also offered $50,000 by Emmett to produce a movie. G’Blae recently settled his suit against Emmett, though no further details were released.
Emmett still faces civil fraud claims and abuse allegations.
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