'Vanderpump Rules' Star Billie Lee 'Gashlighted' By Lisa Vanderpump After Being Fired
By Whitney Vasquez on June 26, 2020 at 11:13 AM EDT
Former "Vanderpump Rules" star Billie Lee says she was forced to be "silenced" and "gaslighted" by Lisa Vanderpump after getting axed from the series. The 36-year-old transgender star had always claimed that she left the show on her own terms but in a recent podcast, she had no problem spilling all the tea amid Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute's firing drama. Discussing her former boss and addressing the issues with Bravo's hit series, Billie Lee did not dare to hold back.
Revealing that competition for airtime amongst the other SUR waitresses became too much, the star opened up about her departure on the “I Feel Tried” podcast. "People were trying to get on camera, people wanted to be famous. And like, all I wanted to do was give a voice to the trans community,” the former Bravo personality explained on Wednesday, June 24. Revealing that she didn't leave on her own terms like she previously said, Billie Lee admitted that she was fired.
“I was actually dismissed. I publicly came out and said that I left … but what happened was toward the end of the seventh season, I was told that Jax [Taylor] and them did not want to film with me," she said during the podcast. The ex-"Vanderpump Rules" star also said she “constantly felt discriminated against” and had several castmates urging her to quit. Billie Lee admitted she felt “appalled and disappointed” after the network told her they were going "in a different direction” after she stressed the importance of diversity needed amongst the cast.
“During my reunion, I publicly posted that there was no minority on stage with me, none of my cast members were of color or LGBTQ,” she explained. That's when Billie Lee ripped into Lisa Vanderpump. "For me to be silenced and talked over and gaslighted by Lisa was just really, really sad. … I tried to publicly talk about it but I was silenced," she stated. The former SUR waitress even claimed that Lisa threatened her. "Lisa personally called me and said that, you know, she made my career and she could easily take it away," Billie Lee revealed.
Earlier this month, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were fired from "Vanderpump Rules" after a racist incident involving their former co-star Faith Stowers was brought to light. The girls called the cops on Stowers to report her because she looked like a black woman who was wanted for robbery. Billie Lee has openly spoken out against the discrimination she's experienced at the hands of some of her castmates, especially Jax Taylor. Like Bravo fans, she has called on the network to fire Jax. As of this post, Bravo has not revealed if any other stars are on the chopping block.
