Like most lawyers, Darrell Miller prefers to stay behind the scenes when it comes to the work he does for celebrity clients like Oscar nominee Angela Bassett and rapper Ludacris.
But in recent weeks, the former singer-turned-entertainment lawyer has found herself unknowingly caught up in one of the biggest reality shows on television.
Earlier this month, he was informed by his younger attorney colleagues that his client Lala Kent, an actress-turned-reality star on Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules,” had posted a video on Instagram that quoted him by name and had gone viral.
His co-star Raquel Leviss, who is embroiled in a cheating scandal that has exploded the show’s ratings, had sent Kent’s personal email account a demand letter from his lawyer to keep him from sharing a video of Leviss. in an intimate FaceTime session he had with her. her co-star Tom Sandoval. Several other “Vanderpump Rules” cast members received a similar warning.
Kent was shocked and said that he had never seen the explicit video. Responding in a video she shared with her 1.9 million Instagram followers, Kent told Leviss to forward the letter to her attorney. Within hours, the “Send it to Darrell” video went viral. Fans of hers immediately started recreating their own versions of Kent’s rant on social media.
Kent even began selling “Send it to Darrell” emblazoned sweatshirts, with sales topping $100,000 in 24 hours.
A Leviss spokeswoman declined to comment.
Miller, who learned about the trending video during a staff meeting, was caught off guard.
“I had no idea what they were talking about,” said Miller, founding president of the Los Angeles-based Fox Rothschild Sports and Entertainment Legal Department. “What have I done?”
He added: “The first day or two I remember thinking it was a fun time and a great opportunity to just see the way unscripted TV and social media have a life of their own.”
Once the New York Post page six clarified who the mysterious “Darrell” was, calls began coming in from all over the country, including from some potential new clients, he said.
“What was clearly done is increase my visibility, while I prided myself on being a little bit invisible,” said Miller, 60.
Miller’s newfound fame attests to the enduring appeal of one of television’s most popular reality shows.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” spin-off is based on the drama surrounding Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant and bar staff.
The cheating scandal, dubbed “Scandoval,” drew the highest ratings in three years for the March 8 episode, which was watched live by 2.2 million people, double the March 1 installment. , according to NBCUniversal’s Bravo, which airs the show. It was the second most played title last week on Peacock, which also airs the hit series “Yellowstone” and “Poker Face.”
The drama began on March 3, when TMZ broke the news that Sandoval had been having an affair with Leviss, despite having a girlfriend of nine years who also appears on the show, co-star Ariana Madix.
News of the matter broke after Madix discovered messages and videos from Leviss on Sandoval’s phone, TMZ reported. Leviss’ lawyers wrote to several cast members, including Kent, warning that the video was taken without their consent, TMZ reported.
“Raquel, tell your little Mickey Mouse lawyer that if he has stuff to send, he can send stuff to my lawyer, same with the rest of my friends and the cast, okay?” Kent said in his since-deleted Instagram video response. “Never in my life has a lawyer contacted me, on my personal email.”
“I wasn’t actually telling Raquel to send it to Darrell as if she knew who he was. He was on a roll with whatever came out of my mouth, and the next line was ‘Send it to Darrell,’ who is obviously my soldier,” Kent said in an interview. “You’re not going to get to me without going through Darrell and good luck with that.”
Kent had hired Miller around 2017 on the recommendation of his manager, Karen Kinney, in season 5 of the show.
“I felt that it was not only going to protect me, from a legal and business point of view, but also take care of my future,” he said.
She broke down in tears describing how Miller vouched for her in negotiations to join a new unscripted show, a proposal Miller pitched to her. Kent has signed up to appear on the untitled show about couples who have been deeply cheated on by her partners. “My red flag awareness is on high alert,” Kent said.
Kent’s break with film producer Randall Emmett, the subject of a Times investigation, also closed with the reality show. The couple were together for nearly six years and had a daughter before their relationship ended in 2021 after what Kent believed was cheating on Emmett, which she denied.
In his presentation to the studio for the prospective show, Miller said any deal “would have to be worth it” for Kent to take time away from his daughter.
“A lot of people go out and fight for their client because they know their percentage is going to be taken,” Kent said. “Not many people are taking people’s families into consideration. This is a good human being that I always want on my team.”
Miller says the approach feels natural to him.
“I really try to be a strategist and get (clients) to think long term, and particularly when they have families,” Miller said. “How they build their careers, what deals they make, how they think about ownership. It’s something I’ve advocated for my entire professional career.”
Tara Long, chair of eOne’s unscripted department, which makes the shows “Ladygang” and “Streets of Compton,” says Miller’s personal touch sets him apart from other entertainment lawyers. The two had worked together on the 2012 reality show “Mary Mary.”
“Good lawyers always get what they want for their clients, but with Darrell, it’s a nice process,” Long said, adding that Miller is a good people connector. “He’s always closing deals and trying to generate new business.”
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Miller studied musical theater and classical singing, graduating from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. After traveling abroad on a musical in India, Egypt and all over Europe, Miller returned to the US with dreams of becoming a producer, and earning a law degree was part of that plan. Miller graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1990.
He began his legal career in civil litigation, but disliked the adversarial nature of the work and switched to becoming an entertainment industry attorney.
“I wanted to combine my artistic experiences with my legal experiences and do exactly what I’m doing, which is to advocate for creators and work with entertainment companies,” Miller said.
