Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImageLisa Vanderpump is ready to "freely speak from the heart."
As Vanderpump Rules fans may know, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were fired from the hit series following allegations made by Faith Stowers, in which Stowers detailed her experience working with her former castmates and shared that they had once called the police on her.
Now, the restaurateur herself is speaking on the drama and allegations that have been going on off-screen.
"Over the past two weeks, many things have been brought to my attention, of which I and many others were previously unaware," Vanderpump wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. "It was necessary for me to be quiet until now, until decisions had been made. Now I can speak freely from the heart."
She continued, "As we've seen such devastating sadness that has played out globally, we all have a part to play to create a kinder, more just society. My hope is for this generation to treat each other with respect and humanity, and realize that actions have; and should have, consequences."
Vanderpump expressed that she "love[s]" and "adore[s]" her employees and is "deeply saddened by some of the lack of judgement that has been displayed."
"As many of you know," she said, "after watching me for 10 years, I have always been an equal rights activist and ally—my family, my businesses and I condemn all forms of cruelty, racism, homophobia, bigotry and unequal treatment. We've never tolerated it in the workplace or our lives."
She added, "While you only see a fraction of our employees on the show, a specific friend group, across all of our companies, we have always been a very diverse group of people—every color, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Most of our employees have worked for us for over a decade and we have become family; one that embraces and celebrates each other's differences."
Further, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star shared that she's "proud of the inclusive company that we've created" and she vows to "continue to embrace diversity as one of our greatest strengths." She added that in the future, she's looking forward to giving the public a "deeper look into the multi-faceted fabric of our company."
In concluding her statement, she wrote, "The world needs to move forward with a kinder generation. Everybody deserves to feel safe, heard and appreciated in their communities. So much of what has transpired in the world is not right, fair or acceptable. We all have work to do to create a society we can be proud of and I hope as we venture forward, we strive to live in a world where kindness and compassion are our highest values."
News of Vanderpump breaking her silence on the firings of Schroeder and Doute comes after Stowers also spoke out. In addition to Schroeder and Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also fired from the show.
Earlier this year, Boyens and Caprioni both apologized after a series of old tweets resurfaced online, in which the two used the n-word.
At the time, Caprioni told E! News in a statement, "I want to express my deepest apologies for the insensitive, ignorant, and hurtful comments I made. I am incredibly ashamed and accept full responsibility, and acknowledge that this language was as unacceptable then as it is now. Please know that I have learned and grown since then and would never use this language today. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry."
Meanwhile Boyens told E! News, "I want to sincerely apologize for what I tweeted in 2012—it was wrong on every level. It is not a representation of who I am. I am shocked I ever tweeted that—and I am disgusted and embarrassed—I am truly sorry."
Last week, Stowers made headlines when she came forward about her experience working with her former castmates Schroeder and Doute. "There was this article... where there was an African American lady," Stowers explained of the incident, which occurred in 2018. "It was a weird photo, so she looked very light-skinned and had these different, weird tattoos. They showcased her, and I guess this woman was robbing people... The woman was robbing people... The women was at large... and they called the cops and said it was me. This is like, a true story. I heard this from actually Stassi said during an interview. She's telling them what they did to me."
Since Stowers' allegations, both Schroeder and Doute took to their respective Instagram accounts to issue public apologies. "Although, my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement's treatment of the black community, and how dangerous my actions would have been to her," Doute wrote in her apology.
While Schroeder wrote, "What I did to Faith was wrong. I apologize and I do not expect forgiveness. I am also sorry to anyone else that feels disappointed in me. I am going to continue to look closer at myself and my actions—to take the time to listen, to learn and to take accountability for my own privilege."
In response to their Instagram statements apologizing for their actions, Stowers told E! News, "It's not really an apology. It's a statement. I think it would have been a lot better if it was something personal because for me, it was a personal attack. For me, I had to make a lot of changes in my life and go through a lot that a normal person wouldn't have to go through. It really hurt me emotionally so I think the apology should have matched the offense. I think it should have been just as heartfelt as their allegations were heartfelt."
She also told us that after learning of Schroeder and Doute being fired, she felt "seen" and "heart."
"Them taking a stand is something we can look at and say, 'Wow. They are listening to the people. They care about Black people and people of color because this is what they are doing," Stowers added. "They are showing that right now. That made me feel really good."
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)