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The two are on the rocks.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Nov 22, 2019
Since Vanderpump Rules began airing in 2013, we’ve been exposed to the tumultuous, explosive, and weirdly tight bonds of the SUR staff. Whether it’s Scheana Shay having a run-in with the wife of the man she had an affair with (Brandi Glanville, from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Jax cheating on literally every girlfriend he’s ever had, or everyone ganging up on James, these cast members are no strangers to drama.
But one cast member has given us more than our daily dose of crazy drama. Who is Kristen Doute?
Not only did she get herself fired from SUR by Lisa Vanderpump herself, but she’s caused quite a stir among her friend group: sleeping with Jax while he was dating Stassi; seeking revenge on her ex, Tom Sandoval; antagonizing her other ex, James, any chance she could get; calling her ex’s new girlfriend the C-word; and acting like a fool on more than one occasion.
And all that has proven to be too much for Stassi Schroeder, who has decided to take a break from her long-time friend.
Schroeder — who became engaged to fiancé Beau Clark in July and whom she actually met through Doute — revealed on her podcast, Straight Up With Stassi, that she and Kristen were taking some time apart.
Kristen was noticeably absent from the engagement party and didn't attend Stassi’s shopping trip to find her wedding dress.
And while attending BravoCon last weekend, Schroeder opened up about planning her wedding, and how she feels about her ex-bestie being absent.
During a panel, she said, “There are moments where I get sad and I’m like, ‘Maybe I should end this,’ but our situation is just so much more layered and deeper than that. So you know what? Sometimes you just need to break from someone... Everything you’ve heard is true.”
Shortly before BravoCon, a trailer for the upcoming season of Vanderpump Rules was released, showing some explosive moments between cast members. Parts of the trailer show Katie Maloney telling Doute that she’s “being an obnoxious person right now,” to which Doute shoots back that Malone is “a b**** to me all the time.”
Still, Doute told Us Weekly, “I love every single person, mostly, on our cast. Even the people that I’ve had a falling out with this season. Obviously, Katie and Stassi, we hit a lull in our friendship, but we fall apart, at least, together. So, it doesn’t even matter.”
At the People's Choice Awards, she also stated, “From my POV, it’s like they’re family to me. So, it’ll always be that way. With every friendship, you have ups and downs, and here is one of our downs. So, ride the wave with us, while you get to see the downs. I think I’ll find out a lot while I watch [the show] as well.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time Doute and Schroeder have been at odds with one another. In seasons past, Kristen slept with Stassi’s boyfriend, Jax, and Stassi confronted her, slapping Kristen across the face. Just last season, Stassi and the rest of the girls took a trip to Solvang, California.
During a wine tasting, she didn’t hold back from dishing on Kristen’s relationship with her boyfriend, Carter:
“Carter’s not good for her. They’re miserable. She says this every day... He doesn’t give a f***. He doesn’t pay for anything, he doesn’t pay rent. He literally does nothing. Nothing... That this was not my place. That was not my f***ing place. I feel so weird right now. Everybody knows it but no one says it. It would be one thing if she was paying for everything and he was nice to her.”
Since then, Kristen and Carter have broken up, with Kristen taking to Instagram to update fans on their split.
Kristen confirmed she and her ex are now just friends, after months of speculation that the two were on the rocks. They were known for their turbulent relationship, always fighting during the season.
On an episode back in February, she told him, “My issues are that you bark at me and you raise your voice and you cuss. And I’ve said this in couple’s therapy, I’ve said this to you, it’s just the shortness.” He replied, “When you come home, the first thing that you do is basically b**** at me for about 20, 30 minutes about something that happened about your day.”
On top of her break from Stassi, being absent from all the wedding excitement, and her breakup with Carter, there’s no doubt Kristen could use some support. Hopefully, it comes in the form of her other friends.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.