Faith Stowers is accusing Lisa Vanderpump of silencing her amid the alleged abusive treatment and racial slurs she was faced with during her time on Vanderpump Rules.
Months after filing a defamation lawsuit against Bravo, its parent company, NBCUniversal, and the producers of Pump Rules, Evolution Media, the 35-year-old actress has accused Lisa, 64, of encouraging her to stay quiet about the behavior she experienced. This includes a dangerous incident that reportedly involved Lala Kent, 34, and a knife.
In court documents filed on January 9, via My News LA, Faith recalled a fired co-star from the show shading her hair as “nappy” and using racial slurs against her on a loudspeaker. This was likely Stassi Schroeder, 36, or Kristen Doute, 41, who were axed in 2020 after being accused of racist behavior against her, but they were not called out by name.
“[Lisa] warned me that I would be terminated if I could not find a way to get along with [Lala Kent], my attacker,” Faith stated in her paperwork. “Out of concern for my job security, I held my tongue and refrained from reporting the incident to law enforcement or disclosing it to the media.”
Faith is being represented by attorney Bryan J. Freedman, who Bethenny Frankel, 54, enlisted to help her push back against the treatment of reality stars in what has been deemed a “reality reckoning.” In the documents, Faith also named Bill Langworthy, the executive producer of Pump Rules in her cast, accusing him of downplaying Lala’s alleged knife-wielding.
According to Faith, Lala placed the weapon on her neck amid a season four dispute.
“[He] strongly implied that speaking out would come with severe career ramifications,” she recalled.
Following the incident, Faith shared that her contract was not renewed. As Pump Rules fans will recall, Faith joined the show in a recurring role in 2015 for season four but was demoted the following year.
“I received no compensation despite being treated like an employee under Evolution’s and NBC’s complete direction and control and remaining a central part of the plot,” Faith claimed.
In response to Evolution Media noting that she had signed agreements with all three parties named in her lawsuit, Faith said the documents were signed without a lawyer. She also claimed she didn’t have the means to understand or negotiate their contents.
“When racial inequities rocketed into the public consciousness following George Floyd’s murder, NBC and Evolution started facing backlash for their mistreatment of [Faith],” her April 5 lawsuit stated. “In an astonishingly cynical act of performative allyship, they belatedly terminated several cast members for behavior they had long known about. At no point did they ever reach out to Stowers herself.”
In the latest developments on the case, it has been reported that the defendants are requesting Judge Thomas D. Long order that an arbitrator decide upon Faith’s claims about her contract instead of a jury.
Meanwhile, Faith’s attorneys have filed documents stating that they are against the arbitration motion.
