Stassi Schroeder's True Feelings About Her Vanderpump Rules Firing
On June 9, 2020, news broke that Stassi Schroeder had been fired from Vanderpump Rules along with Kristen Doute, Max Boyens, and Brett Caprioni for their racist comments and behaviors. Before the firing, Vanderpump Rules alum Faith Stowers spoke out about a 2018 incident where Stassi and Kristen bragged about calling the police and military police on her. They accused her of theft based on grainy security footage of a Black woman. Stassi released an apologetic statement two days before her firing, but it wasn't enough to save her spot on the show.
Stassi and Kristen seemingly bonded over their firing and squashed their feud. The on-again-off-again friends reportedly hired a crisis management team, which was responsible for sharing statements on their behalf and announcing that Stassi and her fiancé, Beau Clark, were expecting their first child together. It's quite possible that team helped set up Stassi's first post-firing interview with Tamron Hall, which aired on Sept. 17, 2020.
During the interview, Stassi explained the three-month delayed response to her firing. "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," Stassi said (via Us Weekly). Stassi addressed the firing, the way she and Kristen treated Faith, the Black Lives Matter movement, the moment when she referred to herself as "Nazi Chic," and her complaints about the Black community's desire for more diversity on screen.
Stassi Schroeder told Tamron Hall she 'messed up quite a few times"
In her interview with Tamron Hall in September 2020, Stassi Schroeder admitted (via Us Weekly), "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." She continued, "[People thinking I'm racist] has been the hardest part of all this." The reality TV alum added, "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."
When Hall asked Stassi why she bragged about calling the police on Faith Stowers during a podcast appearance, she said: "The bottom line is there were people that Kristen knew who were texting her." Stassi added, "When you're on a show like Vanderpump Rules, your existence on that show is kind of dependent on sticking your nose in other people's conflict or creating conflict. ... I was completely wrong, but it wasn't just a photo that we saw."
Stassi also said she was "embarrassed" by the "Nazi Chic" photo she posted in 2018, stating (via Newsweek), "It was a poor joke amongst me and my friend. It was so wrong." When Stassi said, "It is absolutely my fault that I didn't know better," the talk show host was seemingly surprised that the reality star didn't know more about the Holocaust and the Nazis.
Stassi Schroeder was 'used to making jokes at other people's expenses'
Following Stassi Schroeder's September 2020 interview with Tamron Hall, Newsweek reported that Stassi said: "I was so used to making jokes at other people's expenses" when asked about referring to herself as "Nazi Chic." The Vanderpump Rules alum also addressed the fact that she asked: "Why is it always just about African Americans?" during an episode of her now defunct podcast, Straight Up With Stassi, admitting, "I look back on that podcast and am so embarrassed that I even had those thoughts."
She reflected, "I was basically a Karen who said what about all lives matter?" Stassi did her first post-firing interview while she was pregnant with her first child, which she also mentioned. The mom-to-be insisted that she wanted to learn from her actions, declaring, "I want to be a better. I'm pregnant, and want my daughter to be proud of me." She went on to say, "I want to be part of the solution. I've been part of the problem for years now, and I recognize that."
Now that Stassi has finally addressed the firing, it will be interesting to see what her next move will be. Will she ever return to Vanderpump Rules? Or reality TV in general? Her podcast, where she made some of her offensive remarks, has been "removed from all platforms," per US Weekly. She was also dropped by her publicist. For all intents and purposes, she really does have to start over, but will she be able to do so? Only time will tell.