Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute have been fired from Vanderpump Rules.
After former castmate Faith Stowers‘ experience with Schroeder and Doute gained renewed attention last week, Bravo has announced both stars will no longer appear on the hit series. In addition, the network announced two other castmates will not return for season nine.
“Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed today that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules,” the network said in a statement Tuesday.
Schroeder and Doute starred on the reality show, which focuses on the staff of former Real Housewife Lisa Vanderpump‘s SUR Restaurant, since its start in 2013 and have continued to be cast members for all eight seasons.
Just days ago, Stowers spoke out about her experience with Schroeder and Doute, recalling how they had called the police on her.
“There was this article…where there was an African American lady,” Stowers recalled in an Instagram Live with fellow MTV reality star Candace Renee Rice. “It was like a weird photo, so she looked very, very light-skinned and had these different, like weird tattoos or whatever and they showcased her, and I guess this woman was like robbing people…The woman was at large…and they called the cops and said it was me. This is like, true story. I heard this from actually Stassi during an interview. She’s telling them what they did to me.”
In April 2018, Reality Tea reported that Schroeder discussed in an interview on The Bitch Bible podcast how she and Doute had called the police to report Stowers. The episode has since been taken down.
Around that same time, Doute tweeted a link to a report about the unidentified woman. “Hey tweeties, doesn’t this ex #pumprulesthief look familiar?” Doute wrote to followers at the time, “Someone put her on mtv & gave her a platform for press. I didn’t wanna go there but I’m going there,” seeming to hint at Stowers, who went on to star on Ex on the Beach and The Challenge. Doute’s tweet has since been deleted.
Stowers told Rice, “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 and it didn’t work, so they were upset about that.”
After Stowers’ story spurred headlines, brands Billie, Secret Deodorant and Skrewball Whiskey confirmed they had ended their relationships and advertising with Schroeder.
Days after Stowers’ interview, Doute and Schroeder issued public apologies.
In a post on Instagram, Doute stated, “I have been taking some time to really process what I’ve been seeing, feeling and learning. And I need to address something specifically that happened a few years ago with my former castmate, Faith Stowers.”
She continued, “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 would have been to her.” Kristen explained that “it never was my intention to add to the injustice and imbalance.” “I’m ashamed, embarrassed, and incredibly sorry,” she concluded. “I will do better. I have to do better.”
Schroeder’s statement read, “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. 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. I did not recognize then the serious ramifications that could have transpired because of my actions. What I did to Faith was wrong. 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.”
Schroeders’ agency and publicist told Variety they are no longer working with her.
Caprioni and Boyens, who both joined the cast for season eight, issued public apologies in January after their past offensive tweets resurfaced.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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