Lisa Vanderpump is speaking out about the Vanderpump Rules cast firings.
In a statement to ET on Tuesday, Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni would not be returning to the reality series, following the resurfacing of racist actions by Schroeder and Doute toward former co-star Faith Stowers and racist, homophobic and misogynistic tweets by Boyens and Caprioni.
Vanderpump released a statement via Instagram on Wednesday, telling fans that “over the past two weeks, many things have been brought to my attention, of which I and many others were previously unaware.”
“It was necessary for me to be quiet until now, until decisions had been made. Now I can freely speak from the heart,” the statement reads. “As we’ve seen such devastating sadness that has played out globally, we all have a part to play to create a kinder, more just society. My hope is for this generation to treat each other with respect and humanity, and realize that actions have; and should have, consequences. I love and adore our employees and I am deeply saddened by some of the lack of judgment that has been displayed.”
Vanderpump continued, saying that fans know she has “always been an equal rights activist and ally — my family, my businesses and I condemn all forms of cruelty, racism, homophobia, bigotry and unequal treatment. We’ve never tolerated it in the workplace or our lives.”
“We will continue to embrace diversity as one of our greatest strengths, and I’m excited to give you a deeper look into the multi-faceted fabric of our company in the future. The world needs to move forward with a kinder generation,” she concluded. “Everybody deserves to feel safe, heard and appreciated in their communities. So much of what has transpired in the world is not right, fair or acceptable. We all have work to do to create a society we can be proud of and I hope as we venture forward, we strive to live in a world where kindness and compassion are our highest values.Thank you for listening, love Lisa.”
Andy Cohen also made a statement on the firings on Wednesday, noting, “There’s so much happening in the Bravo universe.”
“I will say this about what happened: I absolutely support Bravo’s decision. I think it was the right decision,” he added. “There is a lot more to discuss and we’re already having those discussions.”
Stowers previously opened up to ET about the online bullying she had received as a result of the cast’s backlash toward her following the Jax Taylor cheating scandal. Last week, during an Instagram Live session, she recalled how Schroeder and Doute racially targeted her in a 2018 incident.
“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 said. “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,” Stowers added, seemingly referencing Schroeder’s past appearance on the B*tch Bible podcast.
Around the same time as Schroeder’s podcast appearance, Doute tweeted the Daily Mail article and 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,” she wrote, referencing Stowers.
spoke with Stowers on Wednesday, who said she had not heard from Vanderpump directly in the wake of the cast firings.
“I emailed her daughter a year ago and I reached out. I don’t know if she got my email,” she recalled. “But I reached out and I just said, you know… ‘I would love to sit down and talk with you guys’ … This was another chance of me trying to get Brittany [Cartwright] to hear my apology, ’cause that’s something I really wanted her to hear even after this whole thing. I wanted her to hear that from me, ’cause I don’t want to go through life with her thinking that I just didn’t and I was just wrong.”
“No one reached back out to me. I feel like, you know, their lives are moving forward and their shows are moving forward and they just didn’t care about it,” she added. “And that goes to show, that I don’t think I would’ve gotten an apology from those girls. Had this never come out and I went to them privately and I said, ‘Hey, girls, what you said about me really hurt my feelings, it destroyed my life,’ I do not think they would have cared.”
Schroeder and Doute both issued statements of apology on Instagram on Sunday.
“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, alluding to Stowers’ affair with Taylor, who was dating his now-wife, 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.”
Meanwhile, Doute wrote that she’s been “taking some time to really process what I’ve been seeing, feeling and learning” amid the recent protests.
“I need to address something specifically that happened a few years ago with my former castmate, Faith Stowers,” she 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,” Doute added. “I will do better. I have to do better.”
During last week’s Vanderpump Rules reunion, Boyens and Caprioni also addressed their past use of racist, homophobic and misogynistic language in past tweets.
“I’m an adult now, and I cringe even thinking that I said those things,” said Boyens, who repeatedly used the n-word and tweeted derogatory language against Asians. “We live in a generation now where saying some things, even if you are of that culture, is just frowned upon. I just want to say I’m just really, sincerely sorry. I’m not even — there’s no excuse.”
Caprioni also apologized again for his use of the n-word. “It wasn’t OK then, it’s not OK 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 sht to each other, and it was a dumb f*king thing to do. I’m doing my best to move forward and be the best person I can be, and try to emulate that to everybody else.”
