Straight from Stassi. Stassi Schroeder spoke out for the first time since she was fired from Vanderpump Rules.
“People expected me to just understand everything immediately and things like that take time. And I felt like it would be better for me to take the time to get a greater understanding of everything and the issues before I opened my mouth again,” Schroeder, 32, said on the Tamron Hall Show on Thursday, September 17. “I’m someone who messed up quite a few times. I am the reason why I am in this situation. I think a lot of people wanted me to focus on cancel culture and whether I was a victim or not but it’s not how I feel at all.”
Bravo cut ties with the reality TV personality on June 9 after her past racially insensitive remarks resurfaced amid the Black Lives Matter protests. Later that month, Us Weekly broke the news that Schroeder and fiancé Beau Clark are expecting their first child together, a baby girl.
“[People thinking I’m racist] has been the hardest part of all this. Just going out to a restaurant and going to grocery store and wondering if that’s what people think. … I don’t have hate in my heart. But I recognize that I wasn’t anti-racist. That’s something I’ve been learning throughout all of this,” Schroeder said.
The network’s decision to fire Schroeder also came days after former SURver Faith Stowers revealed Schroeder and Kristen Doute reported her to the police for a crime she didn’t commit in 2018.
“There was this article on Daily Mail where there was an African American lady,” Stowers, 31, began via Instagram Live on June 5. “They showcased her, and I guess this woman was robbing people. And they called the cops and said it was me. … It was just funny, because they thought it was me because it was a black woman with a weave. So they just assumed it would be me, and they called the cops on me.”
Hall asked Schroeder about their decision to call the cops on Stowers — and why she retold the story on the “Bitch Bible” podcast.
“The bottom line is there were people that Kristen knew who were texting her,” Schroeder said. “When you’re on a show like Vanderpump Rules, your existence on that show is kind of dependent on sticking your nose in other people’s conflict or creating conflict. … I was completely wrong, but it wasn’t just a photo that we saw.”
While Schroeder and Doute both publicly apologized to Stowers on June 7, Bravo opted not to bring the two women back for season 9 due to their past actions. Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also fired for using racial slurs in their old tweets.
Schroeder and Doute, who publicly feuded during season 8 of the series, subsequently hired a new publicist.
“Stassi and Kristen acknowledged what they did was wrong, have apologized and been punished,” their rep, Steve Honig, told Us Weekly in a statement on June 12. “Without casting aside their actions or the impact of those actions, they want to move forward as part of the solution in ways that are productive, meaningful and sincere. Both of them recognize actions speak louder than words and that is what will guide them as they move forward.”
Sources previously told Us that Schroeder was very emotional after she was not only fired from Bravo, but dropped by Radio.com, which hosted her “Straight Up With Stassi” podcast. The show has since been wiped from all podcast platforms.
“Stassi does feel like she has lost everything she worked so hard for,” one source told Us on June 11. “Professionally speaking, Vanderpump Rules and her podcast were her main priorities and she loved working on both.”
A second insider noted she wasn’t upset with Lisa Vandepump, but per a third source, she was shocked by Bravo’s decision.
“Stassi has been very emotional by this situation and has been sad and crying, and also angry,” the third source said. “She feels blindsided that she was fired and lost her podcast and sponsorships.”
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