Two of the original cast members of Vanderpump Rules were #firedbyBravo in June of this year. Both Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were shown the proverbial door when they took part in some less than ethical practices. Stassi and Kristen made the incredibly poor choice of calling the police on former SUR server, Faith Stowers. It was a retaliation move when Jax Taylor cheated on Brittany Cartwright. Because nothing makes more sense than attacking the female instead of the dude that cheated.
Unfortunately, that incident was not Stassi’s first appearance at the racially insensitive rodeo. In 2017, she made public comments about people of color wanting more recognition in the film industry. And then there was the time she decided to dress in a monochromatic ensemble and label it “Nazi chic”. If you’re keeping score at home, Stassi has a marked history with making ignorant statements. Now Stassi breaks her silence on the firing, being labeled as racist, and where she goes from here.
Stassi was featured on the Tamron Hall Show and given a platform to speak on her firing from Pump Rules. She has been noticeably quiet on social media and admits to taking some time to educate herself and make changes. Or do whatever she has to do to get people to like her again, you decide.
According to Us Weekly, Stassi said of her termination, “People expected me to just understand everything immediately and things like that take time. And I felt like it would be better for me to take the time to get a greater understanding of everything and the issues before I opened my mouth again.” Is it difficult to pity someone who made repeated blunders on the subject of racism? Pretty much. This is not a child, this is a grown woman. But I applaud anyone for taking a time out to discipline themselves for wrongdoings.
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Stassi admits, “I’m someone who messed up quite a few times. I am the reason why I am in this situation. I think a lot of people wanted me to focus on cancel culture and whether I was a victim or not but it’s not how I feel at all.” If she didn’t feel like a victim, why did she have her little brother, her mommy, and the cashier from 7-11 beg the general public to hound Bravo to give her another chance?
“[People thinking I’m racist] has been the hardest part of all this. Just going out to a restaurant and going to grocery store and wondering if that’s what people think. … I don’t have hate in my heart. But I recognize that I wasn’t anti-racist. That’s something I’ve been learning throughout all of this,” Stassi said.
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Again, really trying to be sympathetic. However, this is the same person that said, “I have a podcast and it’s an outlet to say what I think and if you don’t like what I think or what I have to say, then like you don’t have to listen to it. You can turn it off or unfollow me. Whatever, but like everyone giving their impassioned speeches about race and all that stuff, I’m like why is it always just about African Americans?” This was in 2017, not some throw away Twitter comment from 2006.
Stassi has since hired a diversity coach and appears to be determined to improve herself. She said, “I want to be a better person. I’m pregnant and I want my daughter to be proud of me and I want to be a part of the solution. I’ve been a part of the problem for years now and I recognize that.” Stassi’s PR rep stated that she has acknowledged her mistakes and wants to move forward in a productive manner. Which is all fine and dandy, but is it because she feels bad or because she lost her podcast, paycheck, and any future book deals?
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Insiders have stated Stassi still feels “blindsided” by her firing and resulting loss of sponsorships. It is disconcerting anyone would be surprised at a company pushing back on racism, but here we are. No word on whether or not Stassi will ever be welcomed back into the Bravo universe, but hopefully she finally learned her lesson.
TELL US- DO YOU BELIEVE STASSI HAS CHANGED? IS SHE BEING GENUINE? WILL BRAVO GIVE HER ANOTHER CHANCE?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]