Quite a shock. Stassi Schroeder was one of four Vanderpump Rules cast members to be fired on Tuesday, June 9, for past racially charged comments, but it was something she didn’t see coming.
“Stassi was not expecting to be fired. She is surprised and upset,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively, adding that she has “lost a lot of money from losing sponsorships and paid opportunities.” Luckily, she and fiancé Beau Clark have saved a ton, the insider adds.
Former costar Faith Stowers revealed earlier this month that Schroeder, 31, and costar Kristen Doute reported her to the police for a 2018 robbery — a crime she didn’t commit.
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“There was this article on Daily Mail where there was an African American lady,” the Challenge alum, 31, explained on June 5. “They showcased her, and I guess this woman was robbing people. And they called the cops and said it was me. This is like, a true story. I heard this from actually Stassi during an interview. 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.”
Doute, 37, and Schroeder later apologized via Instagram. Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni, cast members who joined Vanderpump Rules in season 8, were also fired on Tuesday, months after tweets that included racial slurs resurfaced.
The firing comes one day after NBCUniversal, Bravo’s parent company, vowed to “focus on social justice, our employees, awareness and education, digital equity and small businesses” with a $100 million multiyear plan.
However, that doesn’t mean it was an easy move for the network. In fact, a second insider tells Us exclusively that it was just the opposite.
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“Stassi, in particular, has become a major piece of the Bravo puzzle over the years, and the network truly enjoyed working with her,” the source notes. “That said, racism and discrimination have no place on Bravo, so Stassi, Kristen, Max and Brett left the powers that be with no other option. The people behind the decision are now discussing ways that Bravo can publicly and more thoroughly address the situation.”
The rest of the show’s cast, including Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney found out about the news when the world did.
“They are shocked,” one insider noted. “There was still no word to the cast about the plans for starting up filming for next season.”
With reporting by Nicholas Hautman