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Stassi Schroeder doesn’t approve of the hatred Tom Sandoval has received from Vanderpump Rules viewers since his affair with Raquel Leviss was exposed in March. In fact, during a podcast appearance on Wednesday, she compared the backlash to an “[emotional] beheading.”
Before opening up about the death threats Sandoval has received after cheating on his former girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix, for months, and explaining why a Pump Rules return probably wouldn’t be a good idea, Stassi, who is expecting a baby boy with husband Beau Clark in September, took to her Instagram page on Monday to share photos from a nude maternity shoot.
“Manifesting a well-adjusted mama’s boy,” Stassi wrote in the caption of her June 12 photo.
Following the sharing of the photo shoot, Stassi was met with compliments from Lala Kent, Beau, Real Housewives of Dallas alum Stephanie Hollman, and Kristina Kelly.
After Lala shared a teary-eyed emoji, Beau said, “Goodness,” and Stephanie told Stassi, “You look just gorgeous.”
“GODDESS,” added Kristina.
Regarding Sandoval, Stassi told Alex Cooper on her podcast that she doesn’t like the “vitriol” she’s seen from Pump Rules fans.
“I’ve been in a position where I’ve received so much hate before,” Stassi admitted on the June 14 episode of Call Her Daddy, via Entertainment Tonight. “I don’t like where we’re at, like, in society where, like, that’s how we punish people.”
As Bravo viewers well know, Stassi was fired in June 2020, along with Kristen Doute (who has since returned), over racist behavior against former co-star, Faith Stowers.
“It’s like emotionally beheading people,” she went on. “What makes this person on their computer the authority on what they think is enough hate for him to receive? I don’t get down with that. I really, I don’t like it. Do I like Tom Sandoval? No. Do I think what he did is disgusting and — like, f-ck him! But, like, see now I feel like I’m even adding to it. Like, the online vitriol.”
There’ve even been death threats, which Stassi, understandably, is completely against.
“Let’s just like, not do that as a group of people. Let’s just not,” she stated. “At some point, that is how people become incredibly depressed and, like, suicidal.”
As Pump Rules season 10 played out, Stassi felt her “talents were wasted” and would’ve liked to “really just like given it to [Sandoval] and been like, ‘I always knew,'” especially due to the favored edit she believes he received during their time together on the show.
“I felt like he was always so beloved, and I would even say to my producers, I’m like, ‘When is he going to get the edit that like I feel like the rest of us see?'” she recalled. “Why does he keep like getting away with being just this dude who just wants to like, ‘Give people things and help people out, man.’ That’s not what I’m seeing. I’m seeing somebody who’s constantly blaming others for things and dredging things up from the past, and like, just deflecting constantly. If the rest of us look bad, then he looks good. And I’ve always felt that way.”
Although Stassi admitted she does “miss” the show at times, and “loved filming” and had “fun,” she wouldn’t be quick to sign her family, including two-year-old daughter Hartford and her unborn son, up for a return.
“The success of the show is, like, directly tied to how badly the cast hurts each other,” Stassi explained. “It’s dark. When you really think about it … It’s not, like, a healthy place to be. Like, it’s not good on relationships. You can be in the strongest relationship and, I mean, if you think about it, it’s like Vanderpump Rules is like ‘Who’s betraying who? Who’s cheating on who? Who’s being shady?’ And, like, sometimes they — things are invented that, like, never even happened.”
“To put that stress on a relationship and then if you have children on top of that, I’m just not sure that that’s the healthiest thing for me,” she added.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 is expected to begin filming later this month.