Kristen Doute revealed the last time she spoke to Stassi Schroeder since their time on Vanderpump Rules.
“The last time I talked to her [was] like a year ago. When [Luke Broderick and I] had our pregnancy loss, she was texting me pretty often and being very loving,” Doute, 41, who is currently expecting a baby with Broderick, 33, told Alex Baskin on the Tuesday, January 21, episode of his “Bravo’s Hot Mic” podcast. “It was the way I think she just naturally is, especially because we were in each other’s lives and were very close for so long.”
The former costars interacted once more after that. “Since then — as of today — we haven’t spoken since her anniversary [with husband Beau Clark],” Doute added. “I texted her and she was like, ‘Oh, you introduced us.'”
Doute clarified there is “no hate” between her and Schroeder, 36.
“It’s just how people grow apart,” she added. “She has two kids and a huge taxing career that keeps her very busy. She has a husband and she has a different group of friends.”
Doute and Schroeder were original cast members on Vanderpump Rules when it debuted in 2013. They were both fired in June 2020 due to past racially insensitive behavior toward former costar Faith Stowers. Doute broke her silence on the scandal one month later.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned is that I have so much to learn,” she said on the “Hollywood Raw” podcast in July 2020. “I know that’s super cliché and a lot of people say that, but it’s absolutely true, because I think that I thought that I understood racism, but now I’m really learning about unconscious bias. Learning about anti-racism. Learning about how we can do things locally to really truly make changes and putting work into your community locally to make those changes I think [are] so important.”
Schroeder later addressed the “huge” mistakes that led to her departure from Bravo. “Just imagine making a terrible mistake, but one that has nothing to do with how good you are at your job. And one that doesn’t truly reflect who you are,” she wrote in her 2022 memoir, Off With My Head. “You’re told to stay quiet. You’re already ashamed of the mistake you made. You already want to fix it. But on top of that, every single person you know or have ever met knows about this mistake.”
Doute has since made her reality TV return with The Valley, which premiered in 2024 and also stars VPR alums Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright. Schroeder will also be back on TV soon after reuniting with Lisa Vanderpump for season 2 of Vanderpump Villa. Schroeder additionally signed a larger deal with Hulu that includes her own show, Stassi Says. The half-hour docu-comedy is currently in development.
Amid their individual success, Doute revealed in October 2024 that she didn’t hear from Schroeder after getting engaged to Broderick.
“I have not heard from Stassi,” she shared on her “Balancing Act” podcast. “I think the last time I heard from Stassi would have been on her anniversary when I wished her a happy anniversary and we exchanged some kind words. That’s kind of it.”
Doute continued: “I’m OK with that. I have a lot of love for her and for her family. I’ve said that a million times. That’s never going to change for me. We have a lot of history and she used to be like a sister to me.”
While reflecting on their bond, Doute noted that their situation has since changed, adding, “I just wish her the best. Sometimes friendships don’t last. That’s it. People just grow apart.”
Doute elaborated on Tuesday about which former costars she’s in contact with.
“Katie Maloney, I’m still close to. Are we best friends the way that we were? No. We are in very different places in our lives,” she continued. “It’s kind of the same thing. I am closer with Katie, but it is OK for people to just grow apart without there being some big dramatic break up — strangely enough.”
