Vanderpump Rules” star Tom Sandoval just made his first public comments after Bravo gave Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni the axe earlier this month.
“It’s crazy,” he said in an interview with KMOV in St. Louis, Missouri during a trip to his hometown. “It definitely changes things and honestly we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens.”
It’s a quick bite, but so far, Sandoval is the only main cast member from the show — besides Lisa Vanderpump — who has reacted to the news.
Stassi and Kristen were let go from the series after former costar Faith Stowers, who is Black, resurfaced claims they called the police on her for a crime she didn’t commit. The two men were fired for old tweets, in which they used racist language.
“Stassi and Kristen acknowledged what they did was wrong, have apologized and been punished,” a publicist for the two said after they were fired. “Without casting aside their actions or the impact of those actions, they want to move forward as part of the solution in ways that are productive, meaningful and sincere.”
Both Brett and Max apologized as well.
“Over the past two weeks, many things have been brought to my attention, of which I and many others were previously unaware,” said Vanderpump in her first statement. “It was necessary for me to be quiet until now, until decisions had been made. Now I can freely speak from the heart.”
“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,” she continued. “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,” her statement went on. “As many of you know, after watching me for 10 years, I have 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.”
Regarding the very white staff, she said that “while you only see a fraction of our employees on the show, a specific friend group, across all of our companies, we have always been a very diverse group of people – every color, ethnicity and sexual orientation.”
“Most of our employees have worked for us for over a decade, and we have become a family; one that embraces and celebrates each other’s differences,” she wrote. “I am proud of the inclusive company that we’ve created. We will continue to embrace diversity as one of our greatest strengths, and I’m excited to give you deeper look into the multi-faceted fabric of our company in the future.”
She ended her post by saying the world “needs to move forward with a kinder generation.”
“Everybody deserves to feel safe, heard and appreciated in their communities,” she concluded. “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 said he approved of Bravo’s decision, while making it clear he has nothing to do with the show other than hosting its reunion.
