The rumors are true, according to our insider. Billie Lee, 35, is saying goodbye to her role as a recurring star on Vanderpump Rules, because she “never signed a contract,” a source close to Billie and co-star Tom Sandoval, 36, EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. That decision can’t be pinpointed to one reason, though. “Billie Lee was struggling handling the drama that comes with being a cast member on Vanderpump Rules. It was truly messing with her mental well being,” the insider tells us. “She also was having trouble vibing with the other cast members except Sandoval, James [Kennedy] and Scheana [Shay], so she wanted to go.” Even though Billie quit the show, she has already filmed a few seasons for the upcoming Season 8 — she is just not officially connected to the show at the moment, and can choose if she wants to wear a mic.
Billie even had a disagreement with production, according to our insider. “Production asked Billie to partake in a storyline that she is adamant isn’t true — that she and Sandoval hooked up, which will be spoken about and [is] a big story line on this season of Vanderpump Rules,” our source reveals. Apparently, “things got so bad that she refused to wear a mic at Sandoval’s recent birthday celebration” on July 9, our source adds!
Billie even “let producers know” that she didn’t want to return to the show “at all,” our source says, but Billie’s not cutting ties with everyone from SUR Restaurant: “Since she is still friends with a few of them, you will most likely see her here and there.” Now that Billie’s “content” with not signing a contract with Bravo, she already has her sights set on new ventures as our source adds, “She has a lot of other projects she is working on, like a potential book and her LGBTQ activism, so she wants to focus on that.”
Drama between Billie and her co-stars wasn’t behind-the-scenes, as it played out on Vanderpump Rules and on Twitter. Unlike the majority of the cast, Billie didn’t make it to Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s wedding in Kentucky on June 29. “I pretty much invited every gay person I knew, except billy, you can be mad at me all you want for that one I don’t care,” Jax tweeted on June 12, and so Billie tweeted in response, “I pretty much invited every gay person I knew, except billy’ Can someone tell Jax Taylor I’m not gay also gender identity and sexual orientation are two very different things.”