There is an ancient metaphysical thought exercise called the “ship of Theseus†that generally goes something like this: “If the pieces of a ship were gradually replaced, over the course of years, one at a time, until no single original piece of the ship remained, would it still be the same ship?†One could apply this same philosophical quandary to Bravo: If, over the course of years, every original cast member of Vanderpump Rules departs and is replaced, one by one, is it still Vanderpump Rules?
On the December 7 episode of Radio Andy, Cohen spoke about the current drama in Bravo-ville: Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s departure from Vanderpump after an eight-season run. “Jax created so much story, drama, conversation in his eight years on that show,†Cohen says. “That’s quite a run that he had. He will go down as one of the biggest reality stars in their moment, don’t you think?†Cohen is excited for the future of Vanderpump Rules after the departure of Jax and Brittany and the firing of Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute over alleged racist incidents. Cohen notes that the show still has favorites like the Toms and Lala, as well as “the new people,†and “that’s a solid cast. When that show’s going to start shooting again, I have no idea, but I’m excited. I’m excited for there to be a shift, also.†Cohen does not, at the date of publication, seem all that worried about the metaphysical implications of this.