What Andy Cohen Thinks About The Vanderpump Rules Firings
On June 9, 2020, Bravo and Evolution Media, the production company behind Vanderpump Rules, announced Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens, and Brett Caprioni have been fired from the show. In early June 2020, former Vanderpump Rules cast member Faith Stowers recalled a 2018 incident where she was racially profiled by Stassi and Kristen, who admitted to calling the police on her and accused her of theft. Back in January 2020, racially insensitive tweets resurfaced from both Max and Brett.
When these stories hit the news, fans demanded change from Bravo and Andy Cohen specifically. Andy responded to outrage from viewers during a June 10 episode of Radio Andy, saying, "I absolutely support Bravo's decision. I think it was the right decision." He continued, "I want to remind people, because I've been getting so many tweets and messages and whatever about Vanderpump Rules and about Southern Charm and other shows... I'm not in charge of programming at Bravo anymore. I am not an executive producer of Vanderpump Rules. I don't have anything to do with the show except that I love it and that I host the reunions."
Andy emphasized, "I don't produce this show, so what I want people to know is that I have no say in hiring and firing people." He clarified that he's currently only the producer of the Real Housewives shows and Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. Although he's not "in charge" of all Bravo shows, he's on board with some major changes.
Andy Cohen supports the Black Lives Matter movement
After Andy Cohen commended the network for the Vanderpump Rules firings during the June 10, 2020 episode of Radio Andy, he shared, "There's a lot more to discuss and we're already having those discussions. I had a great, very long talk with Kandi [Burruss] two days ago." He said that the Real Housewives of Atlanta star "had some really fantastic suggestions for how we can move forward and we're all ears."
On June 8, he hosted a two-part episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen dedicated to a discussion on Black Lives Matter with Atlanta Housewife Porsha Williams and comedian and activist W. Kamau Bell, who remarked, "It's unfortunate, but true in America that a white person's whisper is worth a Black person's scream." When a fan tweeted about that moment from the discussion, Andy responded, "It really struck me." Additionally, Kandi, Porsha, and Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant took part in a panel on Bravo's Instagram called Amplify Our Voices: An Open Dialogue on Being Black in America on June 8.
In May 2020, Andy's show's account posted on Twitter, "WWHL stands in solidarity with the Black community against systemic racism and oppression experienced every day in America. We owe it to our Black staff, talent, & viewers to demand change and accountability. To be silent is to be complicit. #BlackLivesMatter." On his personal accounts, Andy participated in Black Out Tuesday and demanded justice for Breonna Taylor.
Faith Stowers appreciates the Bravo network's decision, even though no one reached out to her personally
Andy Cohen isn't the only one who supports the network's decision to end its relationships with the now-fired Vanderpump Rules cast members. Faith Stowers, who was very personally victimized by Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute's decision to call the police, talked about the network during a June 10, 2020 interview with TMZ.
Faith was asked if Bravo reached out to her directly and she revealed, "No, actually. They didn't. Ugh. I would have liked that too, just because they could have shown that I didn't sound crazy." However, she is happy with the actions Bravo has taken, saying, "Ultimately, they've shown they cared. They let them go. That's a really big deal." Referring to Stassi and Kristen, Faith said, "Those were two people in that cast that are very, very popular. So, for me, that says a lot about them because they were benefitting from these two women and they were willing to let them go because of what was done."
Faith made it a point to emphasize that the Bravo network "did not reach out personally at all." Hopefully that changes in the near future. While Andy reminded his Radio Andy listeners that he is not an executive producer for Vanderpump Rules, he is an executive producer for Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. Perhaps, he will extend an olive branch to Faith by inviting her to be a guest on his show.