Team Bravo. Andy Cohen broke his silence on the recent firings of four Vanderpump Rules cast members — including Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute — amid accusations of racial insensitivity.
“There’s so much happening in the Bravo universe. I will say this — so much talk about Vanderpump Rules and then of course the reunion ended up airing last night,” Cohen, 52, told listeners on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy on Wednesday, June 10. “I will say this about what happened. I absolutely support Bravo’s decision, I think it was the right decision.”
One day earlier, Bravo confirmed that Schroeder, 31, and Doute, 37, would no longer be part of the popular reality TV series after former costar Faith Stowers claimed they had falsely reported her to the police in 2018. New cast members Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also fired after their old racist remarks resurfaced on social media. Two days before they were ousted from the series, both Schroeder and Doute apologized for their insensitive behavior.
“Although my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement’s treatment of the black community, and how dangerous my actions could have been to [Faith],” the He’s Making You Crazy author wrote in an Instagram statement on June 7. “I’m ashamed, embarrassed, and incredibly sorry. I will do better. I have to do better.”
The Next Level Basic author also addressed her past with Stowers the same day, writing, “My emotions over something that happened between our friends outweighed my logic, and there is no excuse for that. … What I did to Faith was wrong. I apologize and I do not expect forgiveness.”
While Cohen was vocal about his support for Bravo’s decision to no longer work with cast members with histories of racial insensitivity, he reminded fans that he has no control over who gets hired or fired from the series.
“I’m not in charge of programming at Bravo anymore. I am not an executive producer of Vanderpump Rules,” he said on Wednesday. “I don’t have anything to do with the show except I love it and that I host the reunions. I don’t produce the show so what I want people to know is I have no say in hiring and firing. … There is a lot more to discuss and we’re already having those discussions.”
Hours after the Vanderpump Rules firings made headlines, Stowers told Page Six she felt “vindicated” by the network’s major move.
“I was ready to put myself in the line of fire because I don’t know what will happen if I don’t say anything, but I’m glad I did,” she said on Tuesday. “Now I’m seeing Bravo follow suit, releasing women that have given crazy ratings for them because they want to be on the right side of history and I’m seeing people are finally hearing us.”
