When Stassi Schroeder agreed to make House of Stassi with her family, she knew it was necessary to break the fourth wall.
“It was definitely intentional. I knew going into it that I wanted to acknowledge the fact that we were making a television show,” Stassi, 38, shares in Us’ annual Reality Stars of the Year issue. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, so pretending that cameras and producers don’t exist felt very strange to me. We had to acknowledge the cameras in order to create the realest show we possibly could.”
During season 1 of Hulu’s latest hit series, Stassi was an open book as she documented her life as a successful businesswoman, a wife to husband Beau Clark and a mother of two kids trying to balance friendships, family and life’s big surprises in Los Angeles.
While some scenes weren’t always pretty, Stassi insists they were always real.
“I went into this knowing I was going to put it all out there, because otherwise there really wouldn’t have been a point in doing the show,” the Hulu star tells Us. “If I only wanted to show the polished version of my life, I could just post on Instagram. The audience is smart. They know when the total truth is not being put out there.”
Two months after House of Stassi’s finale aired, Stassi has no regrets about saying yes to the project.
The executive producer is also happy to report that the closest relationships in her life are still going strong.
“[Beau’s] doing really well. We had a lot of conversations about everything after we finished filming, so by the time the show aired, we had already worked through a lot of it together,” Stassi says. “I think we both feel really good about where we are now and are in the most honest place we’ve ever been.”
When asked whether any dynamics changed between the family after the show aired, Stassi matter of factly states, “I think anytime you put your group dynamics on television, there are going to be conversations afterward. We’ve all had to process watching certain moments back and seeing the other person’s point of view. And if we get a season 2, I’m sure there will be plenty more to unpack.”
Despite her long history with reality TV, which includes launching Vanderpump Rules on Bravo in 2013, Stassi is still learning more about herself as she disrupts a genre she has so much love and appreciation for.
“I’ve learned that I really am resilient. I can withstand a lot — everything from humbling moments to the occasional reality check,” she tells Us. “I’ve also learned that being self-aware doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll stop doing the thing … it just means I’ll know exactly what I’m doing while I do it.”
It’s just one of the reasons why fans can’t wait to see what happens next in Stassi’s open and honest world.
“I don’t have any official news to share just yet [about season 2], but I’d absolutely love to keep going,” Stassi teases to Us. “I’d love for people to see more of my life with Beau and the kids, more of my friendships and obviously more of the fun. I think we’ve established that I’m capable of bringing the emotional chaos, so maybe we can have a little more fun next time.”
For more from Stassi, pick up Us’ Reality Stars of the Year issue, out this week. House of Stassi is streaming now on Hulu.
