In an Instagram Live interview with Floribama Shore star Candace Rice this week, former Vanderpump Rules cast member Faith Stowers discussed what it was like to appear on the overwhelmingly white show as a black woman, recalling the “attacks†she faced from her fellow cast members — including one incident when Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute tried to get her arrested.
“I did a show with an all-white cast,†Faith said. “I was the only black person on the show. It was a lot.â€
Faith explained that after it was revealed in season six that she had an affair with Jax Taylor while he was in a relationship with his now-wife, Brittany Cartwright, Stassi and Kristen focused their ire on her instead of Jax, even though Kristen notoriously had an affair with Jax while he was dating Stassi.
“They wanted to attack, attack, attack, attack, attack,†Faith said. “I was wrong, I was this, I was that, calling me names, saying my hair was nappy, which is weird coming out of their mouths.â€
The final straw for Faith was when Kristen and Stassi decided to try to get her arrested, calling the police after the Daily Mail wrote a story about a black woman allegedly drugging and robbing men she met in Hollywood nightclubs. “They called the cops and said it was me,†Faith said.
Indeed, Stassi herself bragged about the incident. As Reality Tea reported, during an appearance on the Bitch Bible podcast in 2018, Stassi accused Faith of stealing credit cards and boasted that she and Kristen had tried to match images of the woman in the Daily Mail article with images of Faith, and reported it to the police. “We are like, we just solved a fucking crime,†Stassi said. “We start calling the police. The police don’t give a fuck. It’s really hard to get in touch with the police unless it’s an emergency.â€
Kristen also posted the Daily Mail story on Twitter in April 2018, writing, “Hey tweeties, doesn’t this ex #pumprules thief look familiar? someone put her on mtv & gave her a platform for press. I didn’t wanna go there but I’m going there.â€
“It was just funny, because they thought it was me because it was a black woman with a weave,†Faith said. “So they just assumed it would be me, and they called the cops on me. It didn’t work, so they were upset about that.â€
She called her experience on the show “a lot,†but added, “I feel like now I’m in a way better position anyway.â€
On the same day that Candace posted Faith’s interview on Instagram, both Stassi and Kristen posted black boxes to their Instagram feeds for #BlackOutTuesday as a show of solidarity with the black community (the black boxes were criticized by many who argued that posting information, resources, or donation receipts would be more meaningful).
Soon, brands began to sever their ties with Stassi. As “Page Six†reports, shortly after outlets began reporting on Faith’s interview, shaving brand Billie dropped the reality star as a parter, writing that it is “ending all of our partnerships with anyone who isn’t supporting the fight against racism,†as did the vitamin start-up Ritual, which said, “We were not aware of her actions and realize that is unacceptable and part of our responsibility.â€
After several days of silence, both Stassi and Kristen issued statements on Instagram on Sunday.
“I have grown significantly from the person I was then,†wrote Stassi, adding, “My emotions over something that happened between our friends outweighed my logic, and there is no excuse for that. I did not recognize then the serious ramifications that could have transpired because of my actions.â€
Kristen, in her statement, wrote: “I will do better. I have to do better.â€
This post has been updated.