‘Pump Rules’ Star Billie Lee Claims Lisa Tried Silencing Her After She Was Fired From The Show
Billie Lee accused Lisa Vanderpump of trying to silence her after she alleged that there were not enough Black or LGBTQ people on Bravo -- but she refuses to stay quiet.
Vanderpump Rules became one of the most talked about shows during this past week after the Bravo network made the decision to fire stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute following accusations by former costar Faith Stowers that they had engaged in “racist actions”. Billie Lee, 36, who was axed from the series herself after its 7th season in 2019, “applauded” Bravo for what they did while also speaking out about the hurdles that she alleges were placed in her way during her time on Vanderpump Rules.
“I personally tried to go public, and I did a little bit with regards to the reunion on season 7 and how I felt like I was gaslit and silenced,” she told HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE new interview, before detailing her claims about Lisa Vanderpump, 59. “And then when I publicly talked about how there were not enough Black people or LGBTQ people on [Bravo], Lisa herself called me and told me that I needed to not talk negatively about the show, that it would hurt my career and she made my TV career, and she could take it away if I didn’t stop saying negative things about the show.”
Former ‘Vanderpump Rules’ star Billie Lee. Credit: Shutterstock
Billie then discussed the effects the situation it took on her personally after Lisa’s alleged behavior. “I was silenced and as an activist that really hurt me,” Billie added. “It was really disappointing to find out that someone I looked up to had their own privileges and didn’t understand where I was coming from,” Billie, who was also recurring cast member in the sixth season, told us.
“And then to see everything that came out with Faith,” Billie continued, referencing Faith’s recent Instagram Live where she detailed her experience of being the only Black cast member on the series. At one point, during the show, Stassi and Kristen had called the police on Faith. Now, “I’m part of all these marches and I’m very much a part of the Black Lives Matter movement and I was really proud of [Faith]. Like I said, I struggled very much leaving that show (Vanderpump Rules), not having money and I can’t imagine someone of color doing the same thing,” Billie said.
Lisa Vanderpump. Credit: Shutterstock
“There was this article on Daily Mail where there was an African American lady. It was a weird photo, so she looked very light-skinned and had these different, weird tattoos,” Faith recalled to Floribama Shore’s Candace Rice on her Instagram Live on June 1, regarding what went down with Stassi and Kristen’s 911 call. “They showcased her (not Faith, but the lady referenced in the story), and I guess this woman was robbing people. And they called the cops and said it was me. This is like, a true story. I heard this from Stassi during an interview,” she went on, referencing a podcast where Stassi talked about why she and Kristen called the police following Faith’s cheating scandal with Brittany Cartwright‘s now husband Jax Taylor.
Stassi and Kristen have since apologized for their actions after they became public, however, Faith herself told HL exclusively that she didn’t think her former costars were sincere. “As far as reaching out to me personally — Kristen did a public statement with Stassi — then after being pressured to privately apologize to me by all of the amazing supporters out there, [Kristen] did,” Faith, who appeared on the fourth & sixth season, told HL. “She directly apologized to me through a [Instagram] DM. So, it’s just unfortunate that she did that after being pressured.”
