In a different timeline, there would likely be some marginal support from Bravo stars—at least publicly—in the wake of Kristen Doute, Stassi Schroeder, Max Boyens, and Brett Caprioni’s firings. Well, definitely for Doute and Schroeder. I don’t think anyone even remembers that Boyens and Caprioni were on television.
This, however, is this timeline. Former co-workers are not so gracious! Almost immediately after the news was announced via Bravo’s Instagram on Tuesday, @commentsbybravo captured NeNe Leakes’s reaction: “Well alrighty then! Now we have a few more questions to ask about in other areas where there’s a major difference. Should we talk privately or publicly?”
I think, if NeNe is feeling it, she should talk publicly. If it weren’t for Faith Stowers’s public comments about her experience on Vanderpump Rules, Lisa Vanderpump would still be informing her cast members that they’re safe from all the horrible things they’ve done because she can’t fire them all! Now I’m reminiscing: Wasn’t Teresa Giudice just waxing poetic about her continued support of Donald Trump? And wasn’t the last season of Real Housewives of Dallas a harrowing account of xenophobia racism going unchallenged by just about everyone on the cast, not just the now-fired Leeann Locken? Anyway, I’m just reminiscing!
The Real Housewives of Potomac’s Candiace Dillard Basset, for her part, interrogated Bravo’s inaction in firing the cast members, when their tweets and statements and beliefs have been public knowledge, in some cases, for years:
ET also reports that Dillard Bassett’s other cast member, Wendy Osefo, commented on Bravo’s Instagram: “The next step should be for @bravotv to create a working group comprised of Black talent from @bravotv and executives to co-create a shared vision of inclusionary practices to ensure equity within the workplace. #BLACKLIVESMATTER.” Meanwhile, former Vanderpump Rules star Billie Lee shared an open letter to Bravo earlier in the week, writing that both her and Faith were tokenized by the network and “edited into a villain.”
Us Weekly also uncovered comments on Instagram from Shahs of Sunset star Reza Farahan, who added a praise emoji under the announcement. Porsha Williams posted a clapping emoji. Gizelle Bryant added her own thumbs up, with a “very good to know” thrown in. Interesting, and let me point this out just one last time: not a single person has come to their defense, as of yet. RIP!
To Stassie Baby, on the day after the day after your very special day, a letter from me. (And by association, the rest of the Jezebel staff.)
Happy-happy birthday, from all of us to you! We wish it was our birthday, so we could party, too—by staying at home and practicing safe social distancing, while coronavirus hospitalizations continue to rise across the country weeks after nationwide re-openings forced by Republican legislators and Democratic lawmakers too spineless to push back on their corporate donors. I would have delivered this sooner, before you had all your friends came over for your 23rd birthday without masks on. I would have also delivered in person, as a socially safe distance, but it seems my invitation got lost in the mail. Still, do you have any extra “STASSIE TURNS 23″ tracksuits, preferably in a large? I’d love to wear it with you on our next socially-distanced hangout!
Lots of love, XOXO,
Your Favorite Blogger Joan
- Anok Yai has responded to Carine Roitfeld’s deranged and downright insidious Instagram post about her. [Page Six]
- Becca Kufrin promises her cop-apologist husband isn’t a cop apologist. Being married to him, I understand her defensiveness, but I strongly urge both him and her to research the symbolic terror of the “thin blue line” as both a metaphor and practice of law enforcement. It entrenches the belief that cops are somehow above the law they supposedly claim to enforce, removing them from accountability for their actions while promoting police brutality and violence. [Us Weekly]
- Speaking of, Rachel Lindsay believes the Bachelor franchise thrives on systemic racism (it absolutely does.) [People]
- Oh, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? They’re fine. [ET]
- Lea Michele is apparently on an interior journey. [Us Weekly]
- Skai Jackson wants to be a force for good. [Just Jared]
- Caitlyn Jenner has been haunting me for five years. [People]