I Forgave Jax & Kristen’s Affair to Keep My Job

Credit: GilbertFlores@Broadimage / MEGA, Michael Simon/startraksphoto

Stassi Schroeder said she only forgave Jax Taylor and Kristen Doute‘s cheating because she wanted to keep her job on Vanderpump Rules. She also revealed a “weird” question a producer asked her about its spinoff The Valley, and she claimed the new show is a “dark place to be.”

On an early season of Pump Rules, Jax cheated on Stassi with Kristen, and the aftermath was captured by Bravo cameras. But Stassi eventually came back to the show, developing friendships with both of them.

In recent months, fans have speculated that Stassi will join The Valley, which somewhat focuses on Kristen and Jax.

Speaking on her Stassi podcast, the alum revealed that she only forgave her castmates “because we had to keep our jobs.”

“The only way forward is to forgive and move on,” she said. “Otherwise you’re going to torture yourself holding all of this in and being angry and mad and then saying I’m not gonna film with this person.”

She said that in “real life” she never would have forgiven Jax and Kristen. But Stassi suggested she would’ve had to “leave” the “show” if she didn’t forgive them, which isn’t “fair.”

The alum claimed she feels bad for Ariana Madix, who’s in a similar situation that also isn’t fair.

Stassi called out how her own castmates became besties with Jax and Kristen again the season after the affair. Though Stassi “quit” midseason, she later came back, determined to “forgive and forget” to keep her career.

Addressing The Valley, Stassi called it a “dark place to be.”

She claimed a producer recently asked if she was “bothered” that the spinoff is so successful. Stassi called the question “weird,” but she shared that she’s actually “the biggest fan” of the new show and doesn’t want to “watch people fail.”

She stated, however, that she doesn’t want to be on it, and she suspects she couldn’t “handle it.” Certain fans still believe she’s positioning herself to return to the spotlight. Time will tell if the theory holds true.