Although Lisa Vanderpump condemns the actions that prompted several members of the “Vanderpump Rules” cast to be fired from Bravo, she still believes that her former employees are not racist.
“I wasn’t sure what they did, but do I think they are racist? 1,000 percent not, ”said the former“ Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ”star on the podcast“ The Skinny Confidential’s Him & Her ”on Monday. “Because I have a lot of different people working for me, who they’ve all been working with very closely for many years.”
Vanderpump, 60, reiterated: “I think it was a racist action? Not at all. I just think it was a horrible, stupid and ignorant moment. “
In June, Bravo announced it was firing Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute for allegedly calling the police Faith Faith, a black cast member of the hit reality show.
Season 8 newbies Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also released from the network after racist tweets resurfaced online.
The layoffs came as tensions rose amid the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Vanderpump told the hosts of “Him & Her” Lauryn and Michael Bosstick that with Schroeder, 32, specifically, she had a “lack of awareness”, “lived in her own bubble” and therefore Bravo had to “do what he had to do. “
“I think everything was very hot at the time, but it was also an accumulation of things she had done,” he added. “It wasn’t just a comment, and I think the fact that she was proactive in connecting with this whole Faith situation was simply not the way to handle things.”
Last year, it was revealed that Schroeder almost commented on his now canceled “Straight Up With Stassi” podcast about the lack of diversity in awards.
“Why are Asians not saying, ‘We are not represented’. Why Native Americans and Latinos are not saying ‘We are not represented’, ”she said in an earlier episode. “And whenever they get upset, everyone has to go above and beyond to make them happy.” The “they” referred to blacks.
Vanderpump claims that she was very naive with many of the comments that her cast members said outside of her reality show.
“This story had never reached my ears and I’m sure that whatever they said at the time, they found it funny … but I certainly never heard it,” she said. “I never listen to any of your interviews quite frankly.”
The owner of the restaurant admitted that she would like to see her cast’s personal growth after the television layoffs.
“I also don’t like this cancellation culture,” she said. “Of course, I think that sometimes people should be punished and there should be punitive ramifications and actions have consequences, but I think that people can grow from their mistakes. I really do, and I think reality shows are a good place to learn and see growth. “
Last June, Bravo chief Andy Cohen said he supported the network’s decision to fire several members of the “Vanderpump Rules” cast for their racist acts.
“I fully support Bravo’s decision,” he said on his SIRIUS XM radio program. “I think it was the right decision.”