Hulu documentary delves into Randall Emmett scandal
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 Monday 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.
‘Vanderpump Rules’
Emmett came to the public’s attention in a guest role on eight seasons 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
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 his condition or that he was 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.
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.