In the fallout of celebrities being exposed for racist activity, Vanderpump Rules has suffered much needed losses. This is a good thing. Discrimination in any form should not be tolerated, be it by skin color, sexual preference, or how one identifies as a human being.
Treating people horribly and basic intolerance isn’t new for Pump Rules. Who hasn’t had Lala Kent’s finger stuck in their face at this point? Let’s face it, Stassi Schroeder’s career was born from treating people like dirt. It seems we have been watching a show centered around systematic bullying. Sure, people have fun and drink. They go on fancy vacations. But there is usually one cast member receiving the wrath of a particular clique. Former SUR employee Billie Lee often felt victimized and misunderstood during her tenure on the show. Apparently when she tried to speak up, Lisa Vanderpump strongly advised her to stand down.
Ponder this, Stassi and Kristen Doute were chopped because they falsely accused Faith Stowers of a crime. An exercise in racial profiling at it’s finest. Neither received much backlash until the entire world decided it was finally time to take action against bigotry. Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also given a pink slip for spewing ignorant words on social media ten years ago. The point is, nothing was done at the time and action only seemed to be taken when racism became a trending topic.
So what does a cast member do when the VPR posse targets them? While Billie didn’t evolve into a fan favorite, her appearance on the show was a feather in the cap for transgender people and allies. Unfortunately for Billie, the cast never warmed up to her, but they cited Billie’s general attitude, not her LGBTQIA status.
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Billie wrote a blog, titled Dear BravoTV. She shared her thoughts on the cast’s white privilege, views on Faith, and a statement Lisa allegedly said. Page Six shared a portion of her article. According to Billie, when she publicly spoke about the show and Bravo in a negative manner, Lisa called her directly. She explains, “When I publicly questioned the show and network I got a call from Lisa herself demanding I not speak negatively about my experience and the show.”
Billie questioned Lisa about the lack of diversity on the show. “She [Lisa] also explained to me about how she has black people around, ‘My number one server is black,'” Lisa allegedly replied. Billie continued, “Yes, Lisa you have staff that are black but your show (that has a massive audience) does not show him or any other black, gay, or trans person. Like Stassi, Lisa does not see how her actions are harming an entire race and gender.”
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Apparently Lisa then told Billie, “I made your career and I can take it away”. Very interesting, allegedly. Why would this be said to Billie unless she hit a nerve? Is it possible everything she was saying was true? If so, is this Lisa acknowledging a problem and not doing anything about it? I’m really asking.
If we watch a show where morals don’t exist and ganging up on someone is the norm, can we expect a volatile group to relate to the plight of others? Is it time to do away with programs that promote shitty attitudes and basic white privilege? Or do these shows still provide entertainment? Maybe Billie got on a lot of people’s nerves. Maybe Billie’s attitude, not sexual orientation, poisoned her against the Pump Rules cast. Or maybe Billie was trying to speak up and told to hush by her boss because being anti-discrimination wasn’t on-trend at the time.
RELATED: Faith Stowers Says Lisa Vanderpump Would Have Protested If George Floyd Was A Dog
WHAT DO YOU THINK – DO YOU BELIEVE LISA THREATENED BILLIE’S CAREER? IS BILLIE TRYING TO CREATE MORE DRAMA? WERE BILLIE’S CONCERNS DISMISSED?
[Photo Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo]
