‘Vanderpump Rules’ Fires Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute For Racist Actions
One week after former “Vanderpump Rules” cast member Faith Stowers revealed that two of the show’s original cast members, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute, had reported her to the police for a crime she’d had nothing to do with, a Bravo spokesperson confirmed to Variety that Schroeder and Doute won’t return to the show. Additionally, new cast members Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni, whose past racist tweets were uncovered after the most recent season premiered in January, also will not return.
On Tuesday, Bravo issued a statement saying, “Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed today that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules.”
Schroeder’s ouster has occurred one day after Variety reported that her agency, UTA, and her public relations firm, Metro Public Relations, have dropped her because of her actions toward Stowers. Fuse Literary, Doute’s book agency, has also cut ties with her.
Vanderpump Rules Fires Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni
During an Instagram Live chat last week, Stowers said that in 2018 Schroeder and Doute had called the police to report her for crimes that had been reported in a Daily Mail article about a black woman wanted for theft. The woman pictured in the article was not Stowers.
“There was this article on Daily Mail where there was an African American lady,” Stowers recalled during the chat on June 2. “It was a weird photo, so she looked very light-skinned and had these different, weird tattoos. 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.”
Schroeder had talked about the incident in the past and confirmed calling the police during a 2018 appearance on the “Bitch Bible” podcast. Doute tweeted a link to an article at the time about the woman involved in the alleged crime, posting, “hey tweeties, doesn’t this ex #pumprules thief look familiar? someone put her on mtv & gave her a platform for press. I didn’t wanna go there but I’m going there.”
In the wake of Stowers’ account going viral, both Schroeder and Doute apologized. But during the nation’s recent reckoning on systemic racism and police brutality, originally reignited by the death of George Floyd — which has led to uprisings in the streets, in newsrooms, and on social media — Bravo decided that time was up for the two longtime “Vanderpump Rules” co-stars. (And for Boyens and Caprioni as well, who were new this season, and largely despised.)
Neither Schroeder nor Doute immediately responded to Variety’s request for comment.
They now join an ignominious group — one that includes the likes of New York Times editor James Bennet, Bon Appétit editor Adam Rapoport, “Glee” star Lea Michele and former “Bachelorette” Hannah Brown — all of whom have faced the consequences of their misconduct, and in Bennet’s case, sloppy decision-making.
“Vanderpump Rules” premiered on Bravo in January 2013 as an offshoot of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” focusing on the staff of Sur, a West Hollywood restaurant owned by Lisa Vanderpump. The highly rated show has had a sprawling — and nearly all-white — cast over the years, who, like many reality stars, have been known for their outrageous behavior. The most recent season featured a storyline about Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright having to fire Ryan Dotson, the pastor they’d asked to officiate their wedding, who had proudly trumpeted homophobic and anti-trans views. On the show, Taylor was enraged at his best man Tom Sandoval for bringing the issue up on camera.
The show recently wrapped its eighth season, which continued to perform well for Bravo despite criticism from fans and the media for its contrived storytelling, which has strayed far from its original mission of depicting the casts’ real lives. The show was due for an overhaul, though this sudden purge for ugly reasons is most certainly not what Bravo and Evolution had in mind.
When “Vanderpump Rules” will begin to film at all is unclear. The coronavirus pandemic has stopped production on television and movies since mid-March, and Bravo currently has no date to start shooting again.
