Vanderpump Rules alum Laura-Leigh breaks her silence on Stassi Schroeder ‘bullying’ her over 10 years ago
Laura-Leigh is finally breaking her silence about how Stassi Schroeder allegedly bullied her on Vanderpump Rules over a decade ago.
She reflected on her time on the hit Bravo series during its first season and recalled how their feud started when she started dating Jax Taylor, 45, following his divorce from Schroeder.
While appearing on Thursday’s episode of the Vanderpump Rules Party Podcastthe actress, now 33, alleged that Schroeder, 36, would “berate” her and bully her off the cameras.
“I had shifts where Stassi and her little crew would come in and spill drinks on me or send me hate mail through the chefs or [say]“Come and sit in my section, just to scold me during my shifts,” she recalled.
She said that “these things that were so wrong” would continue when they weren’t filming either.
This comes months after Schroeder opened up about one of the most “twisted and cruel” things she did to her husband.
Laura-Leigh finally breaks her silence about how Stassi Schroeder allegedly bullied her on Vanderpump Rules over a decade ago
She reflected on her time on the hit Bravo series during its first season and recalled how her breakup with Schroeder began; pictured November 2024 in Hollywood
And looking back now, the We’re The Millers actress believes her former co-stars “did that for the show,” but said “everything felt very real” to her at the time.
Laura-Leigh also recalled how Schroeder at one point allegedly accused her of “stealing her meds” during her sobriety journey.
However, it was Taylor who allegedly took it and made her pay for it.
During the same podcast episode, she also claimed that she only received $500 for the entire season.
‘We all worked at SUR. I was a new employee. That was all true,” she recalled.
“I wasn’t going to do the show because my agency said they would drop me if I did a reality show.”
She said she “wouldn’t sign the rights” to be filmed, believing that without it the show wouldn’t air.
‘By means of [that] time they had shot so much. They couldn’t release the show without my signature, and I honestly thought – because I was naive – that it would never see the light of day. That’s what I thought too.’
Looking back now, the We’re The Millers actress believes her former co-stars “did that for the show,” but said “everything felt very real at the time.”
She said it started when she started dating Jax Taylor, 45, following his divorce from Schroeder at the time; still depicted in season one of Vanderpump Rules
She said she finally agreed to be on the show because she needed the money. ‘I couldn’t pay my rent. I’m a single woman doing it all on my own. I had my own apartment and my own car. No parental help, financially. Endless jobs, auditions and tests. Completely exhausted,” she said.
“So I signed it so I could get $500 to pay the rest of my rent for that month. And that’s what I made the show.”
She said that despite the show’s success, she has not received any additional payments.
‘No remains. Nothing. And I had to go after them to get that $500. The cast all got paid, I think it was $8,000 for the first season. Jax and everyone else got about $8,000. The only reason I know that is because Jax had all the money in his name. And I thought, “If they get money, why can’t I get money?”
“They said, ‘Okay, we’ll give you $500.'”
In the first season, the love triangle finally ended when Taylor broke up with Laura-Leigh after he accompanied her to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
She told Lisa Vanderpump in the finale that she was quitting her job at SUR because she booked a role alongside Jennifer Aniston in We’re the Millers.
While appearing on Thursday’s episode of the Vanderpump Rules Party Podcast, the actress, now 33, alleged that Schroeder, 36, would “berate” her and bully her off the cameras; depicted in Vanderpump Rules season one portrait
Laura-Leigh also recalled how Schroeder at one point allegedly accused her of “stealing her meds” during her sobriety journey. However, it was Taylor who allegedly took it and made her fall for it; still depicted in season one of Vanderpump Rules
Laura-Leigh has since appeared in The Client List, Blue Bloods, Under the Silver Lake and multiple short films.
She chose not to return to fully pursue her acting career and, according to the podcast, continue on her sobriety journey.
Schroeder starred on the show for eight seasons until she was fired in 2020.
Nearly half a decade ago, she and co-star Kristen Doute were accused of making racially insensitive comments and calling the police on Faith Stowers, the only black cast member to appear on Vanderpump Rules.
Schroeder and Doute faced backlash for accusing Stowers of a crime she did not commit.
She said it started when she started dating Jax Taylor, 45, following his divorce from Schroeder at the time; depicted in Vanderpump Rules season one portrait
Although they apologized for their actions, they were fired amid the fallout and sued for their “racist” behavior.
Taylor left the series that same year with his then-wife Brittany Cartwright.
The couple – who have since separated and filed for divorce – next starred in The Valley.
The spinoff series debuted in March 2024 and the second season will premiere later this year.
Vanderpump Rules will also return soon, but with a brand new cast for the upcoming twelfth season.