Heartbroken. Stassi Schroeder has had a hard time coping with her recent job loss after being fired from Vanderpump Rules earlier this week.
“Stassi has been very emotional by this situation and has been sad and crying, and also angry,” an insider tells Us Weekly exclusively. “She feels blindsided that she was fired and lost her podcast and sponsorships.”
Earlier this month, the 31-year-old reality TV personality was caught up in controversy after former costar Faith Stowers alleged that she and Kristen Doute falsely reported her to the police in 2018. Shortly after the Challenge alum’s story made headlines, Schroeder took to social media to own up to her past mistakes.
“Racially insensitive comments from my past have resurfaced,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday, June 7. “It is important that I continue to take accountability for what I have said and done, while pushing myself to do better. I have grown significantly from the person I was then, and I am still filled with remorse and regret for the hurt I caused. … What I did to Faith was wrong. I apologize and I do not expect forgiveness.”
Us confirmed days later that along with losing a number of endorsement opportunities, the Next Level Basic author was also dropped from her PR company. On Tuesday, June 9, Bravo officially announced that Schroeder and Doute, 37, would not be returning for the ninth season of Vanderpump Rules. New cast members Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also fired for their histories of making racially insensitive comments on social media.
As she continues to deal with the fallout from her past actions, the source tells Us that the “Straight Up With Stassi” podcast host “didn’t think” she would be let go from the series “after she shared her apology post on Instagram” in the wake of Stowers’ story. “She was genuinely apologizing and felt bad about her actions, and feels like it backfired on her,” the insider adds.
Hours after news of the Bravo show’s firings made headlines, a separate source told Us that the remaining cast members were “shocked” by the network’s decision. Lisa Vanderpump broke her silence on the scandals one day later, telling fans she was “deeply saddened” by the events that led to the end of the four stars’ time on the show.
“As many of you know, after watching me for 10 years, I have always been an equal rights activist and ally – my family, my businesses and I condemn all forms of cruelty, racism, homophobia, bigotry and unequal treatment. We’ve never tolerated it in the workplace or our lives,” she wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, June 10. “I am proud of the inclusive company that we’ve created. We will continue to embrace diversity as one of our greatest strengths, and I’m excited to give you deeper look into the multi-faceted fabric of our company in the future.”
Despite their past ups and downs, an insider later told Us that Schroeder has no hard feelings toward Vanderpump, 59. “[She] doesn’t think her getting fired is Lisa’s fault by any means,” the source said.
