Billie Lee is speaking out against the cast of Vanderpump Rules after announcing she was leaving the series midway through filming on Season 8.
During an August 12 interview with In Touch Weekly magazine, Lee said that while she doesn’t necessarily believe that any members of the Bravo TV reality series are transphobic, there are definitely a number of “very self-involved individuals” on the series.
“Those self-involved people can be also ignorant, which is completely different than being transphobic,” Lee explained.
According to Lee, she isn’t convinced that all of her co-stars’ actions were intentional when it came to her feelings about being left out of certain events, which is why she is simply saying that certain cast members are “just very unaware.” That said, Lee believes that when it came to her role on Vanderpump Rules , her co-stars missed an opportunity to take a stand for the trans community but failed to step up.
“At the end of the day, you have someone on or working at your restaurant or on your show that is transgender and I think that you need to go out of your way to include them because we are on a platform where the entire world can view,” she explained.
Lee was added to the cast of Vanderpump Rules during its sixth season and continued to appear on the show through Season 7. Then, in July, midway through production on Season 8, she took to her blog and announced that she was leaving the show after enduring bullying from her behavior.
Lee went on to tell In Touch Weekly magazine that she had high hopes for the way in which the Vanderpump Rules cast would welcome her into their group but was unfortunately left disappointed.
“Now is the opportunity to take your head out of your own a** and say, ‘Wow, we have a minority representing a very small community that’s under attack. Let’s make sure we include her.’ And I feel that they failed in that way,” she said.
Lee told her fans and followers she was quitting Vanderpump Rules last month and right away, she was contacted on Instagram by Ariana Madix, who said that she would miss Lee at SUR Restaurant and added that they would soon make plans to spend time with one another outside of the magazine.
Vanderpump Rules Season 8 is expected to air on Bravo TV later this year but a premiere date has not yet been set.
