A few years after the racism scandal that rocked the Bravosphere, former Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder has launched a convincing comeback, selling out live shows, appearing on major podcasts, and publishing a New York Times bestselling book all about her “cancellation.” That latter business move, however, could once again land her in hot water thanks to a former VPR colleague who’s threatening to sue her.
Over the weekend, Faith Stowers—a former recurring cast member on Vanderpump Rules and the Black woman at the center of Schroeder’s racism controversy—set up a GoFundMe page where she’s requesting assistance with legal fees for “justice against Stassi.”
Per the fundraiser’s description, Stowers is seeking to demonetize sales of Schroeder’s second book, Off With My Head: The Definitive Basic B*tch Handbook to Surviving Rock Bottom. In the memoir, released in April 2022, Schroeder writes about the backlash she experienced from the Stowers incident, which included being dropped by her agents, PR firm, and podcast network, in addition to Bravo.
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Stowers claims that her former co-star made “terrible non-factual claims” against her that have continued to harm her and her family—although it’s unclear whether Schroeder supposedly made these claims in the book or on other platforms. The Daily Beast is waiting for comment from Stowers.
“Stassi Schroeder has written a NY Times bestseller book recently and has made more terrible, non-factual claims about me once again,” the GoFundMe page reads. “After all she has done, she continues to stand by her ignorant claims that are very harmful to me and my family. I’m seeking assistance with my legal team to get this book removed and all royalties/funds collected from this book be given to charity or assisting a family of choice.”
The years-old incident involving Stowers blew up amid 2020’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations when Bravo viewers began to recirculate a 2018 episode of the podcast Bitch Bible. In the episode, Schroeder and her Vanderpump Rules co-star Kristen Doute admit that they tried to frame Stowers for a crime she didn’t commit and even called the police on her.
The two women and several other cast members began publicly targeting Stowers after it was revealed that she slept with co-star Jax Taylor while he was in a relationship with his now-wife, Brittany Cartwright. Stowers also went on Instagram Live during the start of the demonstrations to discuss her trauma from the ordeal.
When Schroeder released Off With My Head last year, Stowers was among many of the online critics who blasted the author for attempting to profit off of the racism scandal. “I think it’s a sad, sad time in our community when someone can use white privilege to try and destroy you and then use that same privilege to make money off of you,” she wrote on Instagram last May.
This isn’t the first time Stowers has supposedly attempted to seek legal justice for her co-stars’ scheming. Around the release of Schroeder’s book last year, several blogs reported that Stowers was “in the beginning stages” of suing former co-star Lala Kent for allegedly approaching her with a knife during Season 4 of Vanderpump Rules over the Taylor situation. The articles also alleged that executive producer Lisa Vanderpump and the show’s production company Evolution Media had cut the footage in an attempt to silence her. However, sources later told RadarOnline that Stowers was not suing Kent and that the two were “good friends.” Stowers has never directly commented on these rumors.
Now, it seems like Stowers is ready to let her voice be heard once again and possibly receive some financial retribution for what she went through. The timing seems appropriate, given that Schroeder and several of her former co-stars—like Doute, Taylor, and Cartwright—have been enjoying more attention thanks to the Vanderpump Rules “Scandoval” that played out earlier this year. Likewise, some of Schroeder’s fans on Twitter—who have been petitioning for her to rejoin the show in light of recent events—are already attacking Stowers for coming after their Bravo favorite.
Whether Stowers will be able to raise enough funds to proceed with a lawsuit remains to be seen—as of Tuesday afternoon, her GoFundMe had received only $705 in donations out of its $20,000 goal.
