Kristen Doute, a former star of Bravo's Vanderpump Rules, stated that she thinks her firing should have been filmed. Doute was one of four stars who were fired from the reality show on June 9th due to involvement in racist acts. The former reality TV star, who has since stated that she still has a lot to learn, is now criticizing Bravo for not using her firing as a way to start an educational dialogue about racism.
Doute and Stassi Schroeder, who debuted in the Vanderpump Rules first season, were both fired from the reality series after they called the police on their only Black co-star, Faith Stowers, and accused her of being a thief. Now, Doute has said that she intends to "do better" and "be better" in the future, stating that having conversations with her Black friends has taught her that she needs to "shut up and listen", according to Instagram. Doute believes that the firing of Schroeder and herself should have been an opportunity for Bravo and Vanderpump Rules to openly address racial tensions in America, and encourage their viewers to engage in "difficult conversations".
As reported by Yahoo! Entertainment, Doute has stated that she has been listening, reading, and watching Ted Talks in order to learn about unconscious bias and anti-racism. She is acknowledging that educating herself about racism (and the current state of racial inequality in America) is more important than losing her job. Reality star Doute has also issued apologies to Stowers on social media. Kristen spoke about her commitment to listening and learning on the "Hollywood Raw" podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn.
Faith Stowers has commented on the firings of her co-stars, Doute and Schroeder, on social media. She originally explained the racist incident to Candace Rice of MTV's Floribama Shore over Instagram. Faith implied that her personal involvement with a Vanderpump Rules castmate had angered Doute and Schroeder, and had led to them calling the police. In Stowers' view, it was as an act of retaliation. Stowers recalled that the police did not respond to Doute and Schroeder's accusations. Since the firing of her two co-stars, Faith Stowers has definitely weighed in on the situation, plus Bravo's consequent reaction: "I'm happy to see that Bravo and Lisa and Vanderpump Rules have decided to stand in support of me and what happened to me and be on the right side of history and not condone social injustice," she said. "For me, that makes me happy."
Stowers has not yet commented on Doute's criticisms of Bravo for neither filming nor airing her firing. Although Doute, for her part, raises a valid point about the responsibility of reality television to engage in discussion about racism, her critiques of Bravo and Vanderpump Rules do deflect from her wrongdoing. Doute's statements about unlearning her bias seem to show that she's making progress. Some people are skeptical, though. Fans of Stowers have taken to social media to question if the statements of former Vanderpump Rules star, Doute, even her own ideas, or if Kristen Doute's statements were crafted by a publicist.
Bravo also fired two other former stars, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni, for unrelated racist incidents. Lisa Vanderpump issued a statement on Instagram that did not explicitly mention Doute, Schroeder, Boyens, or Caprioni, but did disavow racism and bigotry... and confirmed her commitment to diversity. Bravo's and Vanderpump Rules' decision to fire Doute and Schroeder was critical for upholding their responsibility to provide a safe, inclusive atmosphere for their cast and crew. However, Doute's criticisms are of Vanderpump Rules are not unprecedented' hopefully, the show will display more diversity and sensitivity in the future.
Source: Yahoo! Entertainment