Vanderpump Rules has been a major hit for Bravo during its eight seasons so far as a spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but a major casting shakeup means a very different show if it returns for Season 9. Stassi Schroeder, who had been part of Vanderpump Rules from the very first season, has been fired due to racist behavior, and she's not the only one.
In addition to Stassi Schroeder, Bravo and Vanderpump Rules are also saying goodbye to Kristen Doute, Max Boyens, and Brett Caprioni. Like Schroeder, Doute had been part of Vanderpump Rules from the first season. Boyens and Caprioni both joined the show in Season 8, which aired its finale back on May 19, although it was followed by reunion episodes.
Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were both fired after past racist tweets resurfaced. Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute made headlines after former Vanderpump Rules cast member Faith Stowers revealed via Instagram chat that Schroeder and Doute had reported her to the police for a crime she didn't commit.
Neither woman had made a secret of it; Stassi Schroeder spoke about calling the police on Faith Stowers during a podcast interview in 2018, and Kristen Doute tweeted an article about the allegations. Variety reports that Schroeder was dropped by her agency and her public relations firm while Doute was dropped by her book agency following Stowers' making the situation public.
Both Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute took to social media to react to Faith Stowers' video and apologize. Schroeder commented on Instagram that "racially insensitive comments" from her past resurfaced, then stated that her "emotions over something that happened between our friends outweighed" her logic, and she "did not recognize then the serious ramifications that could have transpired" because of her actions.
Kristen Doute's statement on Twitter claimed that her "actions were not racially driven" but she is "now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me" and realizes "how dangerous" her actions could have been to Faith Stowers. As for Stowers herself, she didn't weigh in on social media, but she shared her reaction in an interview with Page Six:
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.
Bravo's decision to fire four Vanderpump Rules cast members isn't the first example of action being taken against TV stars recently. The Flash fired Elongated Man actor Hartley Sawyer over offensive tweets from his pre-Flash days, and MTV's The Challenge fired cast member Dee Nguyen over some of her comments on the Black Lives Matter movement. On the Bravo front, Real Housewives of Orange County's Kelly Dodd dropped some controversial comments in the spring, although she kept her job.
Vanderpump Rules hasn't been officially renewed for Season 9 at this point, but Bravo firing four Season 8 cast members after production had already concluded may indicate that the network is moving forward with another batch of episodes. If you want to relive earlier days of Vanderpump Rules, you can find the first seven seasons streaming on Hulu (which recently added a cool new feature). For more viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, be sure to check out our 2020 summer premiere schedule.
