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Vanderpump Rules stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute have been fired from the Bravo reality TV series after past racist actions against former co-star Faith Stowers resurfaced online this week.
Bravo and Evolution Media, in a statement obtained by Entertainment Tonight, confirmed on Tuesday, June 9, that “Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules.”
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Earlier that same day, Variety confirmed that Schroeder had also been dropped by her publicist and agent, with UTA confirming to the outlet that Schroeder is no longer a client of the agency. Additionally, Metro Public Relations confirmed to the outlet that they “made the decision this weekend to part ways with Stassi.”
The firing of Schroeder and Doute from Vanderpump Rules comes days after Stowers recalled a 2018 incident during an Instagram Live stream.
“There was this article on Daily Mail where there was an African American lady. It was a weird photo, so she looked very light-skinned and had these different, weird tattoos,” Stowers recalled. “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,” she continued, referring to Schroeder’s past appearance on the B*tch Bible podcast.
Roughly at the same time as Schroeder’s podcast appearance, Doute tweeted the Daily Mail article alongside a message to her followers.
“Hey tweeties, doesn’t this ex #pumprules thief look familiar? someone put her on MTV and gave her a platform for press. I didn’t wanna go there but I’m going there,” Doute tweeted at the time, referencing Stowers.
Stowers told Page Six this week on Tuesday that she felt “vindicated” at the news that the two Vanderpump Rules stars had been fired from the Bravo franchise.
“I hope they use this time that they have now to educate themselves to why this happened to them and try to use [their] voice later for real change,” she said. “I feel so vindicated studios and production are able to see blatant racism and make these positive changes and help move the race forward — help with the fight forward.”
“I was ready to put myself in the line of fire, because I don’t know what will happen if I don’t say anything, but I’m glad I did,” Stowers added. “Now I’m seeing Bravo follow suit, releasing women that have given crazy ratings for them because they want to be on the right side of history, and I’m seeing people are finally hearing us.”
On Sunday, June 7, Schroeder and Doute both issued an apology.
“Racially insensitive comments from my past have resurfaced. It is important that I continue to take accountability for what I have said and done, while pushing myself to do better,” Schroeder wrote. “I have grown significantly from the person I was then, and I am still filled with remorse and regret for the hurt I caused. I am grateful for the people in my life that continue to check me and push me to evolve into a more educated person.”
“I also want to address my former castmate, Faith Stowers. My emotions over something that happened between our friends outweighed my logic, and there is no excuse for that,” she continued, seemingly alluding to Stowers’ affair with castmate Jax Taylor, who was dating his now-wife, Brittany Cartwright, at the time. “I did not recognize then the serious ramifications that could have transpired because of my actions.”
“What I did to Faith was wrong,” Schroeder added. “I apologize and I do not expect forgiveness. I am also sorry to anyone else that feels disappointed in me. I am going to continue to look closer at myself and my actions — to take the time to listen, to learn, and to take accountability for my own privilege.”
At the same time, Doute wrote that she’s been “taking some time to really process what I’ve been seeing, feeling and learning” amid the ongoing protests.
“I need to address something specifically that happened a few years ago with my former castmate, Faith Stowers,” Doute wrote. “Although, my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement’s treatment of the black community, and how dangerous my actions could have been to her. It was never my intention to add to the injustice and imbalance.”
“I’m ashamed, embarrassed, and incredibly sorry,” she added. “I will do better. I have to do better.”
As for Boyens and Caprioni, their exits come years after they both posted racist tweets.
During last Tuesday’s Vanderpump Rules reunion, Boyens emphasized his original apology, adding, “I’m an adult now, and I cringe even thinking that I said those things.”
Caprioni also apologized again. “It wasn’t okay then, it’s not okay now,” he said. “It’s something I regret deeply, and it was just kind of making jokes with each other, like we’d literally be in the same room and just say stupid s— to each other, and it was a dumb f—ing thing to do. I’m doing my best to move forward and be the best person I can be, and try to emulate [sic] that to everybody else.”
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