During a Monday, January 11, episode of Dear Media’s “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her” podcast, the SUR owner, 60, reflected on their removals, denying that any of her former staffers are racist.

“It wasn’t right what they did at all, but do I think they’re racist a thousand percent? No. … I have a lot of diverse people working for me that they [were] very close to over the years,” Vanderpump said. “Do I think it was a racist action? No, not at all. I just think it was just awful timing and stupid and ignorant.”

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star said she didn’t listen to every interview her employees did, joking that “it’d be a full-time job.” Still, she said, “You can’t be cavalier just because you’re young and unaware.”

Schroeder, 32, and Doute, 37, were fired in June 2020 after it was revealed they had called the police on former costar Faith Stowers, falsely accusing her of theft. It was also announced that Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni, who first appeared on the show in season 8, were also fired due to past racially-charged tweets.

Six months later, Jax Taylor and wife Brittany Cartwright revealed they were also leaving the show. The December 2020 announcement came less than a year after Lance Bass predicted Taylor, 41, would be axed from the series during an episode of “The Daily Popcast With Lance Bass” podcast.

Vanderpump said that while stars like Schroeder, Doute and Taylor got in their fair share of trouble on and off the show, she believed they could change. The Vanderpump Dogs co-owner also hinted that the price they paid for their mistakes was too steep.

“I think reality television is quite a good place to learn,” the Tom Tom Owner said. “I don’t like this cancel culture either. Of course, I do think sometimes people should be punished … and actions do have consequences, but I think people can grow from their mistakes.”

The British reality star cited James Kennedy as a prime example.

“It was a complete nightmare and then you see suddenly he comes out of that, like, a butterfly coming out of a cocoon where he’s suddenly — he’s not exactly a butterfly — but he’s definitely, you see him making progress and I think [to] see progress in youngsters is a wonder,” she said during the Monday podcast episode.

Andy Cohen also recently hinted at some regrets over the Vanderpump Rules firings, telling The New York Times in December 2020 the dismissals were “decisions for that moment.”

He added, “It’s more interesting to sit in the moment with people that you have a rooting interest in and watch them find their way than it is just turning out the lights and forgetting it existed.”

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Caitlyn Hitt