Mysterious director of new John Travolta movie revealed as pseudonym of ex-“Vanderpump Rules” star

Randall Emmett, the former fiancé of Lala Kent, helmed the film under the name Ives.

Randall Emmett, the ex-fiancé of Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent and subject of the Hulu documentary The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump, secretly directed a movie under a pseudonym.

The former reality star, whose past producer credits include Martin Scorsese's The Irishman and Silence, confirmed in a Wednesday Instagram post that he directed John Travolta’s newest film Cash Out under the mononym Ives. 

“This Friday, CASH OUT is in select theatres and on streaming platforms! Don’t miss it,” he wrote. “Directed by Randall ‘Ives’ Emmett.”

A rep for Emmett did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment, but confirmed to Page Six that he made “a creative decision to use his middle name, Ives, to distinguish himself as a director rather than a producer.”

Emmett first appeared on season 8 of Vanderpump Rules before becoming a recurring cast member during season 9 of the Emmy-nominated (and scandal-ridden) Bravo show while in a relationship with Kent. The couple, who share a daughter, called off their engagement in 2021 and Kent later accused Emmett of repeatedly cheating on her.

According to the IMDb page under his own name, Emmett previously directed 2021's Midnight in the Switchgrass, which starred Megan Fox and Bruce Willis, as well as the Robert De Niro-led film Savage Salvation in 2022.

That same year, a Los Angeles Times piece claimed that Emmett offered a woman film roles in exchange for sexual favors. At the time, a spokesperson for Emmett, Sallie Hofmeister, told PEOPLE in a statement that he “staunchly denies the allegations dating back to 2012.” 

Hofmeister also claimed that the allegations were “part of a now-familiar smear campaign orchestrated by Randall's ex-fiancée to sway their custody dispute,” adding, “Lala Kent has lied and manipulated others in her desperate attempt to win full custody of their daughter, keep her name in the press and remain relevant in reality television.”

The L.A. Times report also included allegations of racial discrimination and employment abuse against Emmett — all of which he denied — that were also examined in the 2023 Hulu documentary, The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump.

In Emmett a.k.a. Ives' action-thriller Cash Out, Travolta plays Mason Goddard, a professional thief who gets caught redhanded during a bank heist with his brother Shawn (Lukas Haas). And, to make matters even worse (or maybe better?), Mason's ex-partner Amelia Decker (Kristin Davis) just so happens to be the lead negotiator on the scene. The film also stars Quavo, Victorya Brandart, and Demián Castro.

In an Instagram Story post, Emmett said that a sequel to the film, which appears to be titled Cash Out 2: High Rollers, has already been filmed.

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