Kristen Doute did not appear on the red carpet with the Vanderpump Rules cast at the opening of Tom Tom last night in West Hollywood.
As her co-stars, including Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz, who co-own Tom Tom with Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd, posed for photos on the red carpet at their new venue, which was host to the Daily Mail ‘s Summer Party, Doute fueled rumors regarding her potential exit from her full-time role on the show.
During the event, Brittany Cartwright, Jax Taylor, Lala Kent, Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Stassi Schroeder, Scheana Marie, and James Kennedy posed alongside Sandoval and Schwartz. The guys were also joined by a number of other reality stars, including The Real Housewives of New York City ‘s Dorinda Medley, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ‘ Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, Shahs of Sunset ‘s Reza Farahan, Rob & Blac ‘s Blac Chyna, and Ladies of London ‘s Sophie Stanbury.
As fans of Vanderpump Rules well know, Sandoval and Schwartz were first approached about the idea of opening a new restaurant with Vanderpump and Todd at Schwartz and Maloney’s wedding during Season 5. Then, during Season 6, they were seen tending to the menu and design aspects of the restaurant as they prepared for its opening.
As for why Doute wasn’t seen with her co-stars at the event, it’s hard to say. However, her absence has certainly added to the speculation regarding her alleged firing.
At the end of last month, Radar Online shared a report in which they claimed that Doute had been removed from her full-time role on Vanderpump Rules and replaced by Season 5 addition Billie Lee.
“She did extremely well,” a source said about the transgender star’s debut on the show’s fifth season. “All of the cast loves her — and so did ratings!”
As for Doute’s alleged exit from the show, the insider said that producers of the reality series chose to demote her from her full-time role on the series because she isn’t nearly as dramatic as she once was.
“She’s just not crazy Kristen anymore,” the source explained.
At the time that Radar Online ‘s report was first shared, Kristen Doute denied she had been fired from the show and labeled the rumor as “fake news.” Even Jax Taylor weighed in on the allegations, stating that he had been filming regularly with Doute for Vanderpump Rules Season 7.
Vanderpump Rules will return to Bravo TV later this year.
