'Vanderpump Rules' OG Stassi Schroeder Shares Why She Isn't Part of 'The Valley' on Bravo

Anyone who has watched Bravo reality shows knows the network loves a good comeback story. It’s why Phaedra Parks, who was fired from The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2017, has found a new home on Married to Medicine. More recently, Bravo introduced a new show starring several former Vanderpump Rules stars.

In January 2024, fans learned of a new show, The Valley, that is practically like VPR and The Hills: New Beginnings had a baby.

The show includes former cast members Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, Kristen Doute, and their LA-based friends (many of whom were also SURvers!)

One person who isn't part of The Valley cast is former VPR star Stassi Schroeder, though she’s still close with some of her former castmates. So, why is The Valley happening without Stassi? She spoke out about why she's no longer our Bravo princess.

Although Stassi, who left Vanderpump Rules in 2020, is old friends with Kristen and is close with current VPR stars Lala Kent and Katie Maloney, she chose not to join The Valley. While some fans assumed that Stassi's exit from VPR is to blame for her not being part of the would-be spinoff, that's not the case.

Stassi appeared on Jeff Lewis Live to clear some things up about why she isn't on The Valley and, according to her, it was not a decision made by Bravo producers. She revealed that she was asked to "film the sizzle reel" for The Valley, but these days, she has moved past the drama of reality TV.

"Every fiber of my being voted no," she said, of being asked to be part of the reel. "It's [because of] a lot of different reasons. First of all, it wouldn't be a reflection of what my reality is."

She added that, while she is "friendly" with most of the cast, it's "not [her] group of friends" anymore.

There was also a clip from The Toast podcast shared on TikTok from a 2022 interview where Stassi opened up about The Valley before it was revealed to fans. And, according to her, the VPR spinoff was in the works long before it came to fruition without her.

"Before we got fired and all that went down, Vanderpump Rules was supposed to transition into a new show," she revealed. She added that her and now-husband Beau Clark's wedding was supposed to be the beginning of that spinoff.

She added, "They were going to slowly transition us" while keeping some minor players on VPR to usher in a new era, so to speak. Clearly, however, that didn't happen, since a good amount of original cast members are still on the flagship series.

Stassi, a fixture on Vanderpump Rules from Seasons 1-8, was fired from the show in 2020, along with Kristen. The longtime friends were let go after their former colleague and VPR star Faith Stowers, a Black woman, revealed on Instagram that the friends, who are white, called the police on her as a prank. Stassi’s firing occurred during her pregnancy with her daughter, Hartford Charlie Rose, and her marriage to Beau Clark that same year. She also welcomed a son, Messer Rhys Clark, in September 2023.

Since her firing, Stassi has been busy working as a professional podcaster and hosts two shows, Straight Up with Stassi and The Good, the Bad, The Baby. Stassi is also a two-time New York Times Bestselling author of two books, Next Level Basic and Off with My Head: The Definitive Basic B*tch Handbook to Surviving Rock Bottom. In her 2022 book, Stassi discusses her VPR firing and the accusations that she’s racist.

Due to her hectic schedule as a wife, mom, podcaster, and author, Stassi isn’t interested in going back to reality TV. However, her former SUR boss, Lisa Vanderpump, has hinted that there could be room for her on VPR.

Although Stassi hasn’t been on Bravo in years and has no plans to join The Valley, VPR’s leader, Lisa, believes there’s room for redemption for her on the long-running show. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum shared with E! News that she and Stassi have remained in touch since Stassi’s firing.

"I do keep in contact with her and she's doing very well," Lisa told the outlet in January 2024. "Our children play together—well my grandchild and her daughter. It's all good."

Lisa, who also executive produces VPR, said she believes Stassi has learned from her past mistakes and could be redeemed by a return to the show.

"I think when you're young and stupid, you make mistakes," she explained to E! "I get a little tired of this culture of like, 'OK, they made a mistake, let's get rid of them.' When you feel like you're a mother and you're in for this ride, you want to say, 'no, let's learn from it. Let's learn from it and see the growth and move forward.' So, when Stassi and Kristen and they all got fired, that was a huge loss to the show."

While Bravo seemingly hasn’t sided with Lisa’s take, Stassi could easily guest star on VPR or The Valley, should the former reality star have a change of heart. Fans will just have to stay tuned to both shows to see what happens — which we were going to do anyway!

Watch The Valley on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.